Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

684. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government whether the housing delivery targets in Delivering Homes, Building Communities align with the capacity set out in each local authority Development Plan; and where discrepancies exist, the changes that are required. [63962/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

685. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the reasons for delays in implementing zoning objectives in Development Plans; the number of housing sites delayed due to unresolved zoning issues; and the steps being taken to expedite zoning compliance. [63963/25]

James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The zoning of land for particular purposes is an exercise undertaken by local authorities as part of their overall statutory plan-making function. This takes place primarily through the local authority’s development plan. The power to make or vary a development plan is a reserved function and accordingly the decision to zone land for particular purposes rests with the elected members of each local authority. The relevant statutory provisions governing these processes are set out in sections 9 to 13 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended).

In accordance with section 15 of the Act, it is a statutory duty of each planning authority to take such steps within its powers as may be necessary for securing the objectives of its development plan. To this end, the Chief Executive is required to give a report to the elected members on the progress achieved in securing the objectives of the development plan not more than two years after the plan is made. It is through this statutory progress report that any blockages to implementation are identified and from which any necessary interventions are informed.

Section 95 of the Act requires each planning authority to ensure that sufficient and suitable land is zoned for residential use, or for a mixture of residential and other uses, to meet the requirements of the housing strategy and to ensure that a scarcity of such land does not occur at any time during the period of the development plan.

Local authorities are independent in their functions under the Planning and Development Act and the Local Government Act, and in accordance with section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), I may not exercise any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or the Commission is or may be concerned. As such, any particular matters relating to specific sites should be raised with the relevant local authority.

To ensure that local authority development plans reflect the requirements of the revised National Planning Framework in respect of housing, I 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 average annual figures. Local authorities are currently in the process of varying their development plans in response to the guidelines.

In recent months I have also made significant progress in establishing the Housing Activation Office with senior specialists from Uisce Éireann, ESB Networks, the National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland and the local government sector now in place. In addition, senior staff from my Department are assigned to the Office.

The Office is actively engaged in identifying barriers to housing delivery and is coordinating with local authorities and infrastructure agencies to address these barriers. This includes engagement with the 31 City and County Councils over a series of meetings to gain an understanding of key housing sites and infrastructure requirements across each area.

In the coming months I will be bringing forward a €1 billion Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund under the National Development Plan to support direct investment in critical housing infrastructure. This new fund will operate alongside existing investment programmes such as the Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund and the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, which will work with the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund to support housing activation and urban regeneration.

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.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context

686. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the State-owned and local-authority-owned sites zoned for residential development but not yet activated; the number of homes each site is expected to deliver; and the timeline for activation. [63964/25]

John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

The zoning of land for particular purposes, including housing, is an exercise undertaken by planning authorities as part of their overall statutory plan function generally as part of a development plan under sections 9 to 13 of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended), but can at present also be carried out as part of a local area plan (LAP) process. The making of a development plan or an LAP is a reserved function of the elected members of each authority.

It should be noted in the first instance that the zoning of land within a development plan or a local area plan is not broken down on the basis of individual sites or parcels of land in individual ownerships. My Department therefore does not have the requested details for local authorities available.

However, the Land Development Agency (LDA) has developed the State Lands Database which provides a detailed and mapped representation of the extent and location of lands owned by public bodies including local authorities in Ireland.

Details of the zoning status of lands identified in the State Lands Database are available as part of the information provided by the LDA. This zoning information is sourced from the MyPlan.ie platform which amalgamates the zoning information from statutory City and County Development Plans nationally.

The LDA has also completed the Register of Relevant Lands, being lands owned by local authorities and bodies listed under Schedule 1 and 2 of the Land Development Agency Act 2021, in urban population areas greater than 10,000.

Both the State Lands Database and the Register of Relevant Lands are also available in an online map format on the LDA website at the following link: www.lda.ie/register-of-relevant-lands/map/.

It should also be noted that all Local Authorities publish annual Residential Zoned Land Tax maps for identifying land that is liable for the tax. However, these maps do not provide a breakdown of land ownership categories, so they cannot provide the information requested.

The Deputy may wish to contact the relevant agencies and local authorities to seek further information.