COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SDZ, LAPS AND PLANNING PROJECTS

Thursday, January 23, 2020

MOTION NO.43

MOTION: Councillor K. Mahon

Page 73 to 77 Clearly show an evidenced based need (Census 2011 and 2016)  for family sized homes in the LAP to cater for that proportion of the population and to enable the current population to stay in the LAP and to avoid a mass exodus of pre-school or young family households. The mechanism to enabling the LAP includes a firm requirement for family sized homes is a Housing Needs Demand Analysis. Please prioritise the production of same for the LAP area in H1 2020. Retain the requirement re: 3 bed units at  30%, subject to the HNDA completion. The LAP should not be weakened in this regard in it's ability to direct the supply of family homes in Cookstown and Airton.

REPORT:

The Planning Authority considers that an appropriate mix of dwellings is needed in this area to cater for a varied population at different life stages and that the retention of families in this area as they grow is an important challenge for the LAP.

Specific Planning Policy Requirement (SPPR) 1 of the ‘Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments: Guidelines for Planning Authorities’ (2018) preclude statutory development plans from implementing a minimum requirement for three or more-bedroom apartments in the absence of a Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA), see below:

Specific Planning Policy Requirement 1 Apartment developments may include up to 50% one-bedroom or studio type units (with no more than 20-25% of the total proposed development as studios) and there shall be no minimum requirement for apartments with three or more bedrooms. Statutory development plans may specify a mix for apartment and other housing developments, but only further to an evidence-based Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA), that has been agreed on an area, county, city or metropolitan area basis and incorporated into the relevant development plan(s).

The Planning Authority and An Bord Pleanála are statutorily required to apply Specific Planning Policy Requirements contained in ministerial guidelines under Section 28(1C) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. Therefore, the policy as included in the Draft LAP, in the absence of a HNDA, would not be implementable.

The proposed motion requests that the site-specific requirement for 30% of units in proposed residential developments to have a minimum of 3-bedrooms be retained and amended upon preparation of a HNDA, if necessary. However, this would be contrary to the relevant Specific Planning Policy Requirements.

It is recognised that a HNDA for the Dublin region will be prepared in the near future and that specific requirements for new developments in terms of the housing mix should be based on the evidence basis arising from this exercise.

Having regard to the ministerial guidelines and in advance of the preparation of a HNDA, it is considered that the recommended Chief Executive amendment (No. 1, page 70 of the CE Report) provides an appropriate policy approach in the LAP for the Planning Authority to encourage the provision of a balanced mix of residential units in new developments and to seek to avoid an over proliferation of dwelling types or sizes which do not adequately serve the needs of a varied population. Upon preparation of the HNDA, these requirements will be reviewed to provide clearer site-specific guidance, if necessary.

RECOMMENDATION:

It is recommended that this motion is not adopted.