Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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1637. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he has examined international examples of zoning reform, including the model used in Japan where development is permitted except where explicitly prohibited; whether such a model could be adapted to the Irish planning framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43825/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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Responsibility for the zoning of land rests with the elected members of a local authority. This takes place primarily through the medium of the city or county development plan, but may also currently be provided for through a local area plan (LAP). In preparing their statutory plans, including in relation to the zoning of land for particular purposes, the elected members are required to consider and be consistent with, as appropriate, the National Planning Framework, the relevant Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy and relevant Ministerial planning guidelines. The relevant statutory provisions governing these respective processes are set out in section 9 to 13 and 18 to 20 of the Planning and Development Act 2000.

The development plan is the principal planning strategy document of each local authority and sets out local planning policies and objectives to provide for the proper planning and sustainable development of the authority’s functional area over a 6-year lifespan. Section 10(2) of the Act provides that a development plan shall include objectives for the zoning of land for the use solely or primarily of particular areas for particular purposes, where and to such extent as the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, in the opinion of the planning authority, requires the uses to be indicated.

The Development Plans Guidelines for Planning Authorities issued by my Department in July 2022 assist local authorities in ensuring that their development plan is consistent with national and regional planning policy requirements, and thereby establishes a high-level strategic context for all zoning decisions in the plan-making process. Furthermore, the local authority plan-making process is subject to independent oversight by the Office of the Planning Regulator in the performance of its statutory plans evaluation and assessment function.

While international practice in relation to spatial planning is kept under review, the legislative provisions governing development plans and zoning were recently subject of comprehensive revision in the Planning and Development Act 2024 (Act of 2024). Given its scale, the Act is being commenced on a phased basis. Under the Act of 2024 the content of the future development plans will be more strategic in nature and will include an integrated overall strategy and number of thematic strategies which will provide an enhanced framework for plan-making at local level.

The Act of 2024 introduces provisions relating to Urban Development Zones (UDZ). The overall aim of theUDZ process under Part 22 of the Act of 2024 is to provide for an updated and more flexible approach to the masterplanning and delivery of development in areas with significant potential for large scale development, including residential development, in tandem with the associated supporting infrastructure. The UDZ approach provides that no appeal may be made to An Coimisiún Pleanála on the decision of the planning authority where a development scheme within a UDZ is in place and the application is deemed consistent with the scheme.

My Department recently issued Commencement Circular 2025/01 to the local authoritiesand other key stakeholders to notify them of the commencement of Chapters 1 and 2 of Part 22 of the Act of 2024. These legislative provisions set out the initial steps in a broader process concerning the designation of a candidate ‘urban development zone’ and ‘UDZ’. It is anticipated that the remaining Chapters of Part 22 (providing for matters such as candidate UDZs,planning frameworks, development schemes and UDZ designation) will come into effect over the coming months, potentially alongside Part 3 of the Act of 2024.