Ireland’s revised National Planning Framework (NPF) was recently approved by the Government, and (subject to Oireachtas approval) will set the strategic vision for Ireland’s growth and development out to 2040.
This is the first revision of the National Planning Framework as required under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). There is substantial overlap between the first and the revised NPF, and indeed the overarching National Strategic Outcomes remain the same. But there have been some key changes to the detail of these strategic outcomes that reflect:
- how Ireland has changed over the last five years
- changes to Ireland’s legislative and regulatory frameworks
- some real imperatives in terms of housing.
Housing
The revised NPF targets the delivery of 50,000 new homes a year, doubling the previous goal set by the first NPF. Whilst this is a significant increase in ambition, the overarching NPF strategy in relation to housing largely remains the same. What has changed is that where the first NPF set out ideas or goals for new regulation, policy and legislation to support the strategy, the revised NPF fills in some blanks with the actions of the Government over the past seven years. In that respect, the revised NPF (and the subsequent guidance the Government intends to provide) provides a more concrete roadmap for how Ireland might achieve this ambitious housing goal.
National Strategic Outcome 1 – Compact Growth provides a clear example of this shift. In the years since the first NPF, the Government has established the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund and the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund. Outcome 1 has also been expanded to include the Residential Zoned Land Tax, which comes into effect in 2025 and aims to activate suitably zoned and serviced land for development. Similarly, the first NPF set out the Government’s objective to establish a strategic and centrally-managed approach to realising the development potential of state owned/influenced lands – and now, with the Land Development Agency fully operational, the revised NPF provides a specific Objective for the LDA’s role in the future.
There are some completely new additions to the overall strategy – for example, an increased focus on how to evaluate land for zoning. Local authorities should not zone land for development if it cannot be serviced within the life of the relevant plan. Given the last zoning update was 2022/2023, there may be a question of whether an interim rezoning is now required. As expected, the revised NPF refers to the Planning and Development Act 2024, and expects that it will provide key legislative tools to achieve Ireland’s housing goals.
For further information in relation to this topic, please contact Brendan Curran, senior associate, Alan Roberts, partner, Alison Fanagan, consultant, Jason Milne, partner or any member of ALG’s Environmental & Planning team.