A large number of houses are being built in areas with no infrastructure, experts have warned.

They are being constructed in localities in the outskirts of Dublin with no schools, transport, water, and drainage.

Of the 21,000 units completed last year, many of these are in housing estates, according to CSO figures.

Architect and UCD academic Orla Hegarty said: “People in these towns who raise legitimate concerns about this are not Nimbys (not in my backyard).

“These are real issues for existing communities, impacting on quality of life, access to services, congestion etc.”

A total of 30% of the new properties being built are located in only seven Dublin commuter towns resulting in homeowners having to do long commutes, the Irish Independent reports.

She added: “So 3,866 new homes, over 10,000 people, are going into areas without adequate infrastructure, schools, water, drainage, transport.

“People are moving for ‘affordability’ and ‘space’, resulting in long commutes, road congestion, long childcare hours, lack of amenities, remoteness from family/friends and bigger carbon footprint for life.”

She added that affordable homes were being built at the cost of more investment in new infrastructure, schools, services, and public transport making it even more expensive for the Exchequer.