Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 October 2017
264. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will provide clarification on the national policy objective 3b from the national planning framework; if this means that 50% of development in the greater Dublin region would have to happen in Dublin city and suburbs or County Dublin; and if it could also occur in urban areas in surrounding counties. [44378/17]
View answer265. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will provide clarification on the national policy objective 3b with regard to the meaning of immediately adjoining suburban areas in each of the five cities. [44379/17]
View answer270. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if he will define all suburbs for each city for the purposes of national policy objective 8 in the draft version of the national planning framework. [44384/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 264, 265 and 270 together.
The draft National Planning Framework (NPF) was published at the end of last month and is currently undergoing its final public consultation phase. This is due to end in early November, following which submissions will be reviewed with a view to finalising the NPF before the end of the year.
In the preparation of the Framework, securing better planning and development outcomes from the form of Ireland's urban development patterns was highlighted as one of the most significant national development challenges in terms of a move away from an extensive, medium- to low-density form of development that is very difficult and costly to service from an infrastructural development perspective, towards a more compact urban development based approach.
Accordingly. National Policy Objective 3b states:
‘At least half (50%) of all new homes in the five cities and immediately adjoining suburban areas of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford would be delivered within the built-up envelope of existing urban settlements’.
The practical effect of this is that at least 50% of all new residential development targeted for each of the five cities would occur within the above defined areas, which in the case of Dublin and all four other cities, is the City and suburbs as defined and mapped by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). In relation to Dublin, this does not equate to Dublin County but in broad terms, includes the contiguous built-up area and associated in-fill and new development areas. This contiguous built-up area also includes some lands in the counties around Dublin.
Outside each of the five cities and their suburbs, it is a further target that at least 30% of new residential development would be accommodated within the existing built-up envelope i.e. town and suburbs, of other urban areas, some of which may be in surrounding counties.
With regard to the meaning of ‘immediately adjoining suburban areas’, this relates to the area within the existing built-up envelope of all sizes of urban settlement, as defined and mapped by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in line with UN criteria i.e. having a minimum of 50 occupied dwellings, with a maximum distance between any dwelling and the building closest to it of 100 metres, and where there is evidence of an urban centre (shop, school etc.).
Moreover, National Policy Objective 8 states:
‘Ensure that the targeted pattern of population growth of Ireland’s cities and large towns to 2040 is proportionate, in accordance with the targets set out in Table 3.1.’
The suburbs for each city under National Policy Objective 8 are as defined by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), i.e. in line with UN criteria referred to above. For development purposes, they must also include immediately adjoining i.e. contiguous, zoned development land that would, if developed, form part of an updated city/town and suburban area in accordance with the CSO definition.
Given that a majority of ‘greenfield’ development outside the built-up envelope of an urban settlement occurs at the suburban edge, the definition of the CSO is dynamic and changes in relation to each Census of Population.
