John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on the challenges we face to secure a housing system that meets the needs of our society. The Minister of State, Deputy O'Sullivan, and I will set out how we are building on the progress made in recent years under the Housing for All plan to address the serious housing challenges touching every family in this country, and the Minister, Deputy Browne, will give concluding comments. He is doing media engagements at the moment.

Building new homes is a top priority for this Government. We have committed to delivering 300,000 new homes between 2025 and 2030, targeting an average of 50,000 homes annually in this period. These new targets are ambitious but provide a pathway to deliver the scale of housing needed for our people. As a reference, these new targets are more than double the output of the past five years. No doubt there are challenges and barriers to addressing these numbers, but I reiterate our strong commitment and determination to address these. As Minister of State with responsibility for planning and local government, I know more than anyone that an effective planning system remains a critical piece of the solution to the housing challenges we face. A number of key achievements have been delivered in that regard in recent weeks and months, which I am happy to set out for the House. The revised national planning framework was approved by the Government in April and passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas in May. It provides the basis for the review and updating of the regional, economic and spatial strategies and local authority development plans to reflect matters such as updated housing figures, projected jobs growth and renewable energy capacity allocations, including through the zoning of land for residential, employment and a range of other purposes.

Given the urgent need to ensure the updated housing requirements can be incorporated into the planning system as quickly as possible to address housing need and demand, local authorities will be required to vary current development plans. This is a key priority for the Government. We want to see what has been agreed under the NPF translated to a local basis urgently. The Minister, Deputy Browne, has already written to local authorities advising them to commence the process of reviewing and updating their development plans. New housing growth requirement figures will be issued shortly, on completion of the necessary screening.

The Planning and Development Act 2024 represents a significant reform of the planning system and is being commenced on a phased basis to the end of the year. It will bring greater clarity and certainty for those navigating the planning system. For example, new statutory timelines for decision-making and a streamlined judicial review process will help to reduce delays that may be constraining housing supply and will ensure investment decisions can be made knowing when a decision on a planning application may be forthcoming.

The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025 was approved by Cabinet for priority drafting on 27 May. It is intended to be enacted before the summer recess. The Bill will ensure sufficient time is given to activate planning permissions for much-needed housing across the country. It will enable an extension of the duration of permissions for housing developments nearing the end of their duration period but which have not yet commenced. The Bill will also allow the duration of a judicial review period to not be counted as part of the effective life of the planning permission, on a retrospective basis. This is important because at the moment the clock does not stop on the duration of a planning permission when the permission is subject to a judicial review. Both measures are pragmatic and grounded in common sense. They are an integral part of ensuring sufficient housing units through the planning permission that can be activated to deliver much-needed homes for individuals and families.

Other activation measures are being progressed so no measure should be viewed in isolation. As part of the implementation of the Planning and Development Act 2024, urban development zones are another new element of planning legislation that will enable further housing development. They constitute a progressive measure which will allow for a plan-led process that includes a key decision-making role for planning authorities. They also provide upfront certainty for communities and the development sector, building on the best elements of the former strategic development zones. The Minister, Deputy Browne, has signed an order that will enable local authorities to identify suitable sites for UDZs and will enable the Land Development Agency and regional assemblies to bring appropriate sites to the attention of local authorities and the Minister. It is imperative this work begin as soon as possible and I envisage it being completed in tandem with the variation process.

With regard to exempted development regulations, we are committed to expanding and improving existing planning exemptions for housing, including subdivision of dwelling and detached modular units to the rear of a dwelling.

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