The West Dublin new homes specialists, Leahy Property Consultants, is to launch a Commuter New Homes division that will specialise in the sale of new houses and development land within commuting distance of Dublin. Describing the move as an "educated gamble", Gerry Leahy predicts that within 12 months, 50 per cent of new home sales will come from a commuter belt stretching in an arc from Drogheda, through Navan, Mullingar, Portlaoise, Carlow and Kilkenny.

Commuter New Homes has already secured instructions to act for the owners of 500 acres of development land at 17 different locations in eight targeted counties with a capacity to produce 4,000 new homes. Leahy says that towns like Athy, Tullamore, Kilkenny, Mullingar, Carlow, Kells and Edenderry were evolving into new commuter centres.