Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 333: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the amount of land which has been de-zoned, or re-zoned from residential, commercial or industrial use development back to agricultural or amenity use, for each of the past six years and for 2010 to date; the procedure and legalities for such de-zoning measures; if any national body or authority has been tasked with assessing the appropriateness of the supply of over supply of lands zoned for residential, commercial or industrial use and the scope or necessity for de-zoning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18028/10]

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The responsibility for zoning lands for specific purposes is a matter for planning authorities through their development plans and local area plans. Under the Planning Acts, the making, reviewing and varying of a development plan or local area plan is a reserved function of the elected members of the planning authority for the area.

Under section 10 (8) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 there is no presumption in law that any land zoned in a particular development plan (including a development plan that has been varied) will remain so zoned in any subsequent development plan. Section 13 (1) of the Act provides that a planning authority may make a variation to a development plan which is in force and this could, inter alia, include changes to zoning objectives.

The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009, which is progressing through the Oireachtas, proposes inter alia that an evidence-based core strategy is included in development plans which must provide information on how the plan is consistent with the National Spatial Strategy, regional planning guidelines and statutory planning guidelines, including in relation to the quantum, location and phasing of lands zoned for development.

Specific data on the quantum of de-zoned or re-zoned land are not collected or retained by my Department. However, my Department compiles an annual update from planning authorities on the total amount of zoned residential lands in their functional areas as well as the estimated yields from such lands. These housing land availability figures are published in the Department's Housing Statistics Bulletin which is available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie.

In addition, my Department published new national population projections in January 2009 to inform the review process for the Regional Planning Guidelines, including regional population targets for the years 2010, 2016 and 2022 which take account of the changed economic climate and the likely impact on demographic trends, of reduced in-migration, rising unemployment and a more constrained financial situation. In October 2009, specific Gateway and Hub population targets which were derived from the January 2009 national and regional population targets were also issued.

It is a matter for each Regional Authority, together with the constituent City and County Councils, to determine population targets for county towns, other smaller towns, villages and rural areas, within their respective regional targets, which will in turn inform the demand for housing over the period and the requirements for development land, taking account of such matters as available vacant housing units within their area.