Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 March 2026
585. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the number of UDZ designation requests received by his Department since he invited applications in June 2025; to provide a list of each request including location and size of the land in question; and to provide an update on each request. [21619/26]
View answerCircular 2025/01 notified planning authorities and other key stakeholders of the commencement of Chapters 1 and 2 of Part 22 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024) by way of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (Commencement) Order 2025 (S.I. No. 239 of 2025) coming into effect from 9th June 2025. These provisions set out the initial steps available to planning authorities in a broader process concerning the designation of a candidate ‘urban development zone’ or ‘UDZ’.
Section 597 of the Act of 2024 provides that a planning authority may identify sites in its functional areas where development may be of significant economic, social or environmental benefit to the State and be in the common good. Such sites are referred to as “suitable sites”.
While no local authority has made a request for UDZ designation to date, my Department continues to engage with local authorities in relation to the identification of ‘suitable sites’. Commencement of further provisions within Part 22 and amendment to Part 6 are necessary to allow for progression of the broader UDZ statutory process, including public consultation and environmental assessment. These new legislative provisions will provide for an updated and more flexible approach to the masterplanning and delivery of areas with significant potential for large-scale development and the associated necessary infrastructure, replacing the provisions providing for the Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) process under Part IX of the Planning & Development Act, 2000.
The identification of potential UDZs (and other areas of significant growth) will also be informed by the establishment of a New Urban Communities Taskforce (as set out in the new Government housing action plan ‘Delivering Homes, Building Communities). The Taskforce will provide a dedicated focus to the identification of locations for the delivery of housing growth at scale and will work with the newly established Housing Activation Office and infrastructure providers to evaluate and prioritise the infrastructural needs of these areas. The Taskforce will report on progress to the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, who will also liaise with the Housing Activation Delivery Group and Housing Activation Industry Group.
