COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF CLONDALKIN AREA COMMITTEE

Wednesday, November 18, 2020

QUESTION NO. 13

QUESTION: Councillor Eoin Ó Broin

"In light of the recent planning applications for a six storey apartment block on Watery Lane (SD20A/0234) and a ten storey hotel on the Old Naas Road (SD20A/0262), to ask the Chief Executive to state the height stipulations for these locations as laid out in the South Dublin County Development Plan (2016 - 2022) and any national directives that may also be relevant to permitted heights for new buildings at these locations."

REPLY:

The South Dublin County Development Plan (2016 - 2022) came in effect in June 2016 and contains the following relevant policies and objectives in relation to building height:

Policy H9 Residential Building Heights

It is the policy of the Council to support varied building heights across residential and mixed use areas in South Dublin County.

Policy UC6 Building Heights

It is the policy of the Council to support varied building heights across town, district, village and local centres and regeneration areas in South Dublin County.

UC6 Objective 1:

To encourage varied building heights in town, district, village, local and regeneration areas to support compact urban form, sense of place, urban legibility and visual diversity while maintaining a general restriction on the development of tall buildings adjacent to two-storey housing.

UC6 Objective 2:

To ensure that higher buildings in established areas take account of and respect the surrounding context.

UC6 Objective 3:

To direct tall buildings that exceed five storeys in height to strategic and landmark locations in Town Centre, Regeneration and Strategic Development Zones, and subject to an approved Local Area Plan or Planning Scheme.

In 2018, the Urban Development and Building Heights Guidelines were published by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. Blanket height restrictions in a Development Plan are contrary to the Urban Development and Building Height Guidelines (2018), specifically Specific Planning Policy Requirement 1 (SPPR 1).

SPPR 1 states

‘In accordance with Government policy to support increased building height and density in locations with good public transport accessibility, particularly town/ city cores, planning authorities shall explicitly identify, through their statutory plans, areas where increased building height will be actively pursued for both redevelopment, regeneration and infill development to secure the objectives of the National Planning Framework and Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies and shall not provide for blanket numerical limitations on building height.’

It is noted that SPPR1 supports the incorporation of increased building height and density in locations with good public transport accessibility in development plans. SPPR3 provides a policy context for planning authorities to grant permission contrary to their development plan subject to being satisfied that the applicant has met specified criteria.

Section 3.0 Building Height and the Development Management Process in the Urban Development and Building Height Guidelines (2018) outlines it is Government policy that building heights must be generally increased in appropriate urban locations. There is therefore a presumption in favour of buildings of increased height in our town/city cores and in other urban locations with good public transport accessibility. Section 3.2 of the Urban Development and Building Heights Guidelines for Planning Authorities 2018 sets out criteria to which an application for buildings of increased heights in town/city cores and other urban locations with good public transport shall be assessed against. In the event of making a planning application, the applicant shall demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority/An Bord Pleanala, that the proposed development satisfies the criteria.

In summary, the assessment of building height for a particular site is a balance of the content of a Local Area Plan/ SDZ (if relevant), the County Development Plan and the criteria in the Urban Development and Building Heights Guidelines (2018) and associated residential Section 38 Guidelines.