Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 November 2025
685. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the reasons for delays in implementing zoning objectives in Development Plans; the number of housing sites delayed due to unresolved zoning issues; and the steps being taken to expedite zoning compliance. [63963/25]
View answerThe zoning of land for particular purposes is an exercise undertaken by local authorities as part of their overall statutory plan-making function. This takes place primarily through the local authority’s development plan. The power to make or vary a development plan is a reserved function and accordingly the decision to zone land for particular purposes rests with the elected members of each local authority. The relevant statutory provisions governing these processes are set out in sections 9 to 13 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended).
In accordance with section 15 of the Act, it is a statutory duty of each planning authority to take such steps within its powers as may be necessary for securing the objectives of its development plan. To this end, the Chief Executive is required to give a report to the elected members on the progress achieved in securing the objectives of the development plan not more than two years after the plan is made. It is through this statutory progress report that any blockages to implementation are identified and from which any necessary interventions are informed.
Section 95 of the Act requires each planning authority to ensure that sufficient and suitable land is zoned for residential use, or for a mixture of residential and other uses, to meet the requirements of the housing strategy and to ensure that a scarcity of such land does not occur at any time during the period of the development plan.
Local authorities are independent in their functions under the Planning and Development Act and the Local Government Act, and in accordance with section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), I may not exercise any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or the Commission is or may be concerned. As such, any particular matters relating to specific sites should be raised with the relevant local authority.
To ensure that local authority development plans reflect the requirements of the revised National Planning Framework in respect of housing, I issued the NPF Implementation: Housing Growth Requirements Guidelines under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 in July 2025. These Guidelines set out the housing demand scenario to 2040 for each local authority, by translating the NPF housing requirements into average annual figures. Local authorities are currently in the process of varying their development plans in response to the guidelines.
In recent months I have also made significant progress in establishing the Housing Activation Office with senior specialists from Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the local government sector now in place. In addition, senior staff from my Department are assigned to the Office.
The Office is actively engaged in identifying barriers to housing delivery and is coordinating with local authorities and infrastructure agencies to address these barriers. This includes engagement with the 31 City and County Councils over a series of meetings to gain an understanding of key housing sites and infrastructure requirements across each area.
In the coming months I will be bringing forward a €1 billion Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund under the National Development Plan to support direct investment in critical housing infrastructure. This new fund will operate alongside existing investment programmes such as the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund and the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, which will work with the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund to support housing activation and urban regeneration.
This joined-up approach will help accelerate housing delivery by unblocking infrastructure constraints and ensuring that investment is targeted to where it can have the greatest impact. This will help support local authorities in achieving their housing targets in line with the Revised National Planning Framework.
