Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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672. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the steps that have been taken to ensure that local authorities respond positively and proactively to the objectives of the National Planning Framework; and if he will outline how the revised framework is being integrated into local development plans to support sustainable growth, housing delivery, and balanced regional development. [48550/25]

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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674. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the mechanisms in place to monitor local authority compliance with the objectives of the Revised National Planning Framework; and if performance indicators will be used to track progress on housing, infrastructure, and sustainability goals. [48552/25]

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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675. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the risks that have been identified that may impact the timely delivery of the National Planning Framework; and the mitigation strategies being pursued to ensure alignment with housing, infrastructure, and climate targets. [48565/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 672, 674 and 675 together.

On 20 June 2023, Government gave approval to commence the process of undertaking the First Revision of the National Planning Framework. The National Planning Framework (NPF), is the whole-of-Government strategy for strategic planning and sustainable development of our urban and rural areas to 2040, with the core objectives of securing balanced regional development and a sustainable ‘compact growth’ approach to the form and pattern of future development.

The revision process was finalised and approved by Government and the Oireachtas in April 2025. The revised NPF will directly inform the wider Government policy agenda, the actions of a broad range of public and private bodies, including homebuilders, the renewable energy sector, infrastructure agencies and domestic and international investors.

This Revised NPF provides the basis for the review and updating of Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSESs) and local authority development plans to reflect such critical matters such as updated housing figures or projected jobs growth, including through the zoning of land for residential, employment and a range of other purposes.

The NPF will continue to spearhead the planning agenda and the Act sets out a ‘plan-led’ system and structure whereby all tiers of planning from regional to local align with the strategic objectives set out in the NPF. Put simply, lower order plans will be required to align with higher order plans, with Development Plans aligned to the Regional Strategies and in turn to the NPF and National Planning Statements, and with the area-based plans aligned to Development Plans.

The Revised NPF includes National Policy Objective 108, which commits to the development and of a new programme of monitoring of the implementation of the National Planning Framework, with a focus on measuring outcomes relative to the key strategic objectives of the NPF including more balanced regional development, city-based growth, compact growth and infrastructure delivery. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Statement for the Revised NPF was recently published and also includes a monitoring programme which is focussed on aspects of the environment that are likely to be significantly impacted by the implementation of the First Revision to the NPF.

Further to the approval of the NPF, I, as Minister, issued the NPF Implementation: Housing Growth Requirements Guidelines under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 in July 2025. These guidelines set out the housing demand scenario to 2040 for each local authority by translating the NPF housing requirements into estimated average annual figures. This draws on the range of scenarios presented by the ESRI in 2024 updated research and modelling on population growth and structural housing demand, and assumptions relating to unmet demand.

These Guidelines provide the basis for a consistent approach to be taken by all 31 local authorities in incorporating national and regionally-based population and housing projections of the Revised NPF into their statutory plans and thereby ensure that the Revised NPF takes effect within the planning system in a plan-led manner.

In addition, the NPF includes National Policy Objectives to increase residential density in existing urban settlements through a range of measures that includes increased building height, in addition to priorities for infill and brownfield development and reduced vacancy. The NPF sets out targets to achieve compact growth, with 50% of housing to be provided within or the built-up area of Ireland’s five cities, including Dublin.

Building on the NPF compact urban growth priorities, the Government has a range of measures to encourage regeneration within towns and cities, reuse of existing properties, incentivise compact growth, and discourage inactivity on zoned land drawing on international best practice in these areas.

These measures include the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF), Croí Conaithe, funding to incentivise the return of vacant and derelict buildings to residential use in support of the Town Centre First policy approach and the introduction of Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT), as well as planning exemptions for conversion of vacant commercial buildings into residential units.

Martin Daly (Roscommon-Galway, Fianna Fail)
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673. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the role the newly established Housing Activation Office will play in assisting local authorities to meet the housing targets set out in the Revised National Planning Framework; and the way in which this will accelerate delivery in areas of high demand. [48551/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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The Revised National Planning Framework, approved by the Government and the Oireachtas in April 2025 sets out updated national and regional housing targets to 2040. These targets provide the basis for the Housing Growth Requirements that I issued to local authorities in July. The updated growth requirements will be incorporated into local authority development plans to ensure a balanced approach to housing growth across all regions.

The Government also agreed in April, to establish a new Housing Activation Office in my Department, to address infrastructure barriers that are impacting housing development on zoned lands.

The Office will work with local authorities and infrastructure agencies to develop a pipeline of housing enabling infrastructure projects aimed at addressing infrastructure blockages and accelerating housing delivery.

The Office will manage a Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund under the National Development Plan to support direct investment in infrastructure needed at a local level to unblock housing development. This Fund will complement investment by agencies such as Uisce Éireann and ESBN, who have also received funding under the National Development Plan, to support housing development.

This will be in addition to the investment made in recent years under the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund and the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, which will continue alongside the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund.

This joined-up approach will help accelerate housing delivery by unblocking infrastructure constraints and ensuring that investment is targeted to where it can have the greatest impact. This will help support local authorities in achieving their housing targets in line with the Revised National Planning Framework.