Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1723. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government his views on whether it is consistent with national policy that a local authority in Dublin has voted to reduce the density of zoned housing on a vacant parcel of land (details supplied). [44352/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The ‘Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements Guidelines for Planning Authorities’ were issued in January 2024 under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act, 2001 (as amended). Section 28 of the Act provides that planning authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála shall have regard to Ministerial guidelines in the performance of their functions. Where the Guidelines contain specific planning policy requirements (SPPRs), planning authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála is required to comply with these policy requirements in the performance of their functions.

Table 3.1 of the guidelines sets out the density ranges for Dublin and its surrounding suburbs. The guidelines state that the density ranges should be further refined (as part of the statutory plan making by the relevant planning authority and consenting processes), generally within the ranges set out in the guidelines, based on consideration of centrality and accessibility to services and public transport. They also state that it will be necessary to ensure that the quantum and scale of development at all locations can integrate successfully into the receiving environment and should not result in a significant negative impact on character, amenity or the natural environment.

This approach provides planning authorities with a degree of flexibility so they can operate a plan-led approach and take the circumstances of a plan area or an individual site into account as part of the decision making processes.

At a broader level, the making of a development plan, or a local area plan, is a reserved function of the elected members of each planning authority. Since its establishment in April 2019, the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) has had statutory responsibility for the evaluation and assessment of local authority plans in accordance with section 31P of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (the Act). The OPR is independent in the performance of this function.

As part of its statutory function, the OPR may make submissions to the relevant planning authority including such recommendations as it considers necessary to ensure effective co-ordination of national, regional and local planning requirements by the relevant planning authority in the discharge of its development planning functions.

In accordance with the Act and where it considers that it is merited, the OPR may recommend that the Minister exercise his or her function to issue a Direction to ensure that a plan which is being prepared or amended sets out an overall strategy for proper planning and sustainable development.

The Minister is not empowered to issue a Direction to a planning authority without first having received a formal notice and recommendation from the OPR.