Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

99. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he plans to issue the methodology for the housing needs demand assessment to local authorities as part of the development plan review process. [35581/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

National Policy Objective 37 of the National Planning Framework requires that each local authority should undertake a "Housing Need and Demand Assessment" for their area. This will be important in estimating likely future housing need across tenures, including social housing need.

Work on the development of the HNDA process is ongoing in my Department. Research on population projections at local authorities level is being progressed with the ESRI and development of a HNDA tool with the Scottish Centre for Housing Market Analysis is also in train. This new evidence-based approach will form the basis of a more accurate and consistent projection of demand for different tenures of housing.

The prototype tool to assist local authorities in carrying out HNDA is now moving into pilot phase, with the first pilot scheduled for this month. Feedback from this will be used to modify the tool as required and a final version is expected to be ready in early 2021, along with technical guidance on the tool and draft revised Housing Strategy Guidelines, incorporating the HNDA Framework, under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000.

Following adoption of Regional Spatial and Economic and Strategies by the three Regional assemblies earlier this year, the process of reviewing individual county development plans by local authorities is underway and will continue into 2021, overseen by the Office of Planning Regulator. These reviews will include preparation of a housing strategy and completion of a HNDA.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

100. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he plans to publish his Department’s new rural housing planning guidelines. [35582/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The 2005 Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines are framed in the context of the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) 2002. Given the superseding of the NSS by the National Planning Framework in 2018, together with the need to address the potential implications of the 2013 European Court of Justice ruling in the "Flemish Decree" case, there is now merit in updating the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines in a broader rural development and settlement context. My Department has commenced scoping this work and I expect a draft by the end of this year.

Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

101. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government when he plans to circulate to local authorities the updated development plan guidelines. [35583/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Further to finalisation of three three Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies between June 2019 and January 2020, review of City and County Development Plans has commenced in many local authorities, overseen for the first time by the Office of the Planning Regulator.

The process of alignment between plans will continue into 2021 and when complete, will be the first time that there is an integrated hierarchy of statutory spatial plans in Ireland. This is critical to ensuring that future development can be regulated by a tiered policy framework and supported by a national public capital investment programme.

My Department is currently finalising an updated version of the Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities to assist with the review of development plans and it is my aim to have draft Guidelines published for public consultation by the end of the year.