Imelda Goldsboro (Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Christopher O'Sullivan.

Aubrey McCarthy (Independent)
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I thank the Acting Chairperson for the opportunity to raise this important and urgent matter, and the Minister of State for being here.

The national planning framework, NPF, is a cornerstone of Ireland's efforts to plan for sustainable growth, address regional imbalances and, critically, respond to the housing crisis, which is gripping our nation and which I have mentioned here on many occasions. The most recent data from the Central Statistics Office has shown that Ireland's population has increased by a remarkable 8%, resulting in over 5.1 million people now living here. This is an extraordinary demographic shift but it also brings extraordinary challenges regarding housing and infrastructure. The figures speak for themselves. New homes need to be built quickly if we are to meet the needs of this growing population.

The NPF was originally launched in 2018 as part of Project Ireland 2040 and had clear objectives to guide population growth, development and infrastructural investment over the next two decades. Despite the urgency, however, there has been a disappointing lack of momentum in revising the NPF to reflect the realities of Ireland today. As of now, the revised draft of the NPF has been completed and was opened for public consultation last July.However, I note that this process has taken longer than anticipated. It is an issue of significant concern in the context of the housing emergency.

The NPF cannot succeed in isolation. Its revision is merely the first step in a three-stage process. The updated NPF must be completed, the regional spatial and economic strategy, RSES, must be revised to align with the NPF's targets, and the county development plans must be amended accordingly to ensure that the new housing numbers that are needed can disseminate effectively to local authority areas.

The hierarchy I have mentioned is fundamental, yet it is inherently time-consuming. In his most recent answer in the Dáil on this subject, the Minister, Deputy Browne, did not provide clear timelines for these stages. This omission underscores the need for urgency and clarity in the months ahead. Setting and adhering to hard dates for the NPF revision, the RSES updates and the county development plan amendments is not optional. It is imperative to enable all stakeholders to plan ahead.

We must explore practical situations to alleviate housing pressures while awaiting the formal conclusion of the NPF revision process. One such solution is allowing local planning authorities limited discretion to release housing on tier one lands, which are lands that are already zoned and fully serviced. This would provide a much-needed pressure release valve, enabling strategic development on land designated as new residential phase 1 or future residential phase 2. This temporary measure would not undermine the integrity of the NPF process. Rather, it would demonstrate the Government's agile and responsive approach to the immediate challenges we are facing.

Ultimately, we must recognise the NPF for what it is and not just see it as just a bureaucratic framework. Rather, it is a vital road map for Ireland's future. Its successful implementation and the timely delivery of housing on the ground will determine how we face the growing population and allow us to face it with bravery. I urge the Minister of State to outline specific timelines for all the three stages I have outlined. Failure to do so risks deepening an already critical situation.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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It is great to see this issue being raised in such a specific way and the urgency across both Houses, which is necessary. I will try my best to give the Senator updated timelines. Perhaps these will not be exact dates, but I hope to shed some light on the timelines he is seeking.

The national planning framework 2018 is the 20-year strategy for strategic planning and sustainable development of our urban and rural areas to 2040 with the core objectives of securing balanced regional development and a sustainable approach to the form and pattern of future development. Since the NPF was first published in 2018, the regional strategies and local authority development plans have largely been updated to reflect the objectives of the NPF. In 2023, the Government commenced the process of revising the NPF to take into account changes that had occurred in the intervening years. The finalisation of the approval process for the revised NPF plays a key role in delivering on our broader objectives across Government, in particular, the scaling up of housing supply over the coming years.

The draft revised NPF was subject to public consultation between July and September 2024, with 272 submissions received. A schedule of amendments to the draft was considered and agreed by the previous Government on 5 November. This has allowed for the completion of the environmental assessments that are required by EU law. Subject to Government approval - I hope this goes some way towards answering the Senator's question - and following a positive resolution of both Houses of the Oireachtas, given that it has to go through both Houses, it is possible to conclude the revision process in the coming weeks and for the final revised NPF to be published.

The final revised NPF will provide the basis for the review and updating of regional spatial and economic 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.

The draft revised NPF, as agreed by the Government on 5 November, sets out a need to plan for the delivery of approximately 50,000 additional housing units per annum nationally to 2040.Decisions relating to the location and quantum of lands zoned for housing within each local authority development plan are for the elected members of each local authority, having regard to the provisions of the finalised revised NPF and relevant guidelines issued, including any further policy direction provided by the Minister.

The key next step, further to the finalisation of the NPF revision, is to address, through the issuing of further policy direction by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, the spatial distribution of the housing requirement by local authority area through the provision of updated planned housing requirements on a local authority by local authority basis. This will also ensure more land is zoned than will actually be required to ensure competition and choice in the land market. It will result in the need to plan for more housing delivery than the capacity currently available within development plans across the country, including the scope for strategic planning for transport-orientated development in and around Ireland’s five cities to support the delivery of new sustainable communities at brownfield and greenfield locations along existing or planned high-capacity public transport corridors.

The requirement on a local authority basis will be based on a balanced methodology that factors in the level of housing demand arising, the performance in terms of recent housing delivery and the capacity, while ensuring adherence to the policy parameters of the NPF strategy. Work on this stage is under way and is based on the current revised draft NPF housing figures.

Aubrey McCarthy (Independent)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response. It is good news we are nearly there with the NPF but I must express concerns regarding the timing and practical implications. As I mentioned, Ireland's population has continued to grow significantly and, since the last census in 2022, it has grown by 230,000. My worry is that the data that has been published is already outdated, which will leave us unprepared to meet present and future housing demands.

Ensuring the swift implementation of the NPF, RSES and the county development plans is essential. As I mentioned, we need clear timelines but, in the meantime, will the Minister of State consider interim measures, such as allowing local authorities to release additional housing on fully serviced tier 1 lands? That would offer immediate relief to communities facing acute housing needs without undermining the formal NPF process.

Christopher O'Sullivan (Cork South-West, Fianna Fail)
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I will bring back to the senior Minister and the Department the Senator's suggestion to release lands that are zoned, serviced and ready to go in order that local authorities might be in a position to deliver much-needed housing on those. I take the Senator’s original point about the speed at which this has moved. It could have happened faster and it needs to happen faster. I spoke to the Minister recently about this and there is a sense of urgency in terms of finalising the NPF.

With regard to the county development plans, it is welcome that a direction will be given to local authorities to open up their county development plans again and to make sure that, where there is appropriate land, brownfield sites will be developed to deliver those houses. Unfortunately, the NPF has to be passed by both Houses of the Oireachtas before a direction can be given to local authorities to open up their county development plans, so that is urgent.

I welcome the Senator’s comment on regional development, which is key. I also hear his point on the regional spatial strategy, which has to be sequential and within an appropriate timeline.

I again thank the Senator for raising the matter. I will come back to him on his suggestion.