Written answers

Thursday, 9 November 2017

Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government

Land Availability

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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291. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the details of the figures contained in the table 3 of the residential land availability survey 2014 for land owned by local authorities and that is publicly owned. [47552/17]

Photo of Eoghan MurphyEoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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My Department, in conjunction with local authority planning departments, carried out a national survey of all lands zoned for residential development in statutory local authority development plans and local area plans across Ireland.

This exercise, the Residential Land Availability Survey 2014, published in February 2015, determined the location and quantity of lands that may be regarded as being undeveloped and available for residential development purposes at 31 March 2014 in each local authority area. The survey measured the total amount of lands, whether owned privately or by the local authority, that have been identified for housing development in the various local authority development plans and that are the highest priority for development.

The area of such lands amounts to 17,434 hectares which, given a range of densities appropriate to whether the areas are in small villages or larger towns and cities and as determined by the relevant local authorities, could enable the construction of an estimated 414,000 dwellings.

The survey identifies zoned lands available for residential development and therefore does not detail information on land ownership. However, the active management of the publicly-owned housing land bank is part of a range of actions being progressed under the Rebuilding Ireland Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness, designed to accelerate and increase housing output.

Under Rebuilding Ireland, an online Housing Land Map was launched by my Department which aims to provide users with details of residentially zoned lands, local authority owned and Land Aggregation Scheme sites, other publicly owned sites with potential for housing development, and active private housing construction sites in the Dublin region. It represents a vital initial step in the new State Housing Land Management Strategy being developed under Ireland 2040, the National Planning Framework.

On 27 April 2017, details of some 1,700 hectares of land in local authority and Housing Agency ownership were published on the Rebuilding Ireland Housing Land Map, with the potential to deliver some 42,500 homes nationally. The map also includes details of some 300 hectares of land in ownership of other State or semi-State bodies, with the potential to deliver a further 7,500 homes. These sites can be viewed at the following link: .

In order to ensure a consistent and comprehensive approach to the development of these lands, I have asked all local authorities to prepare Strategic Development and Management Plans for housing lands in their ownership, with particular emphasis on prioritising those sites that are already serviced and with the most potential to deliver housing at scale, in the short to medium term.

In the first instance, the final development model for each site, including the tenure mix, will be the subject of careful consideration by the local authority concerned, including its elected members.

My Department is continuing to work with all local authorities and State bodies to ensure that housing is delivered from appropriately located and publicly owned sites to meet our current and future housing requirements.

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