The Land Development Agency has identified around 1,000 hectares of publicly owned land in and around Galway city.
A total of 18 State agencies hold land in the area, with Galway City Council owning more than half of the total registered.
The LDA is an agency set up to develop land in public ownership, with a particular emphasis on providing additional housing.
It has completed an initial review of the State-owned land bank around Galway, and has mapped the different plots on an online database. Similar mapping of other cities will be completed in the coming months.
The resultant databases will be updated and improved continually.
In Galway, the local authority owns 600 hectares around the city. Much of this is already in use, so not all tracts would be suitable for accommodation purposes.
But the LDA hopes to identify some spaces that could be used to provide extra housing capacity in the future.
Earlier this year, a proposal to build up to 1,000 new homes was unveiled by the LDA and Galway City Council.
A feasibility study is underway to examine the potential for developing at a 20-acre site at Sandy Road, a short distance from the city centre.
A design review is due to be completed by the end of the month, when the plans will be put out to public consultation.
Galway's population is set to grow by 50% by 2040. At present, there is a huge shortage of rental accommodation in the city and traffic gridlock is a routine part of life for thousands of people living and working in the area.
As well as using information from the Property Registration Authority, the LDA is liaising directly with State bodies to establish the exact extent of their land holdings.
