COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF TALLAGHT AREA COMMITTEE

Monday, January 25, 2021

QUESTION NO.2

QUESTION: Councillor L. Dunne

"CSO 2019 figures state that there are 57.630 HAP households across the state. With Tallaght Central being in the top five Electoral Areas having the highest percentage of HAP properties. The National Planning Framework requires local authorities to deliver 50% of all new homes in infills and brown field sites & with the current statistics in mind, I am asking the Chief Executive has a detailed study been carried out on how many of these future developments within the Tallaght Area are predicted to be build to rent? How will this impact on existing communities, Transport, Economic Development, infrastructure & Transport? How this will impact on the Council's vision to create sustainable communities?"

REPLY:

The Tallaght Town Centre Local Area Plan envisages that there may be between 3,500 – 5,000 residential units delivered in the lifetime of the LAP and sets out key projects and phasing requirements to facilitate this growth, such as the Transport Interchange, Belgard north link road, Innovation Centre, schools and public realm improvements. These projects will enhance public services, accessibility and economic activity in the area, catering for a growing population. Many of these projects are being spearheaded by the Council and the Council has recently been awarded an increase of funding from €14.58m to €31.9m for projects in Tallaght under the Government’s Urban Regeneration and Development Fund.

The LAP includes objectives to achieve mixed-tenure and mixed types of housing in the interests of building stable and mixed communities. Build to rent (BTR) developments are provided for under the 2018 Apartment Guidelines and assessed under specific criteria. The planning authority acknowledges that the BTR model, if applied, operated and managed as it is intended, should achieve the objective of attracting and retaining a less transient population with centralised, professional and dedicated management structures for these developments. In terms of length and security of tenure, this is not a planning function and is provided for under separate legislation.

A specific requirement on a site by site basis to preclude BTR would be contrary to national planning policy, would not be implementable and would not provide the flexibility to respond to evolving housing requirements and the ability of homebuilders to respond to housing demands. The LAP did identify the need to provide more family sized homes in the Tallaght Town Centre area and, in this regard, the LAP includes a policy requirement for 3-bed homes which does not discriminate between the type or tenure of home.

While a detailed breakdown of tenure in future planning permissions is not for the planning authority to determine, the planning authority monitors ongoing planning and construction activity. In this regard, of the Strategic Housing Developments (SHDs) granted planning permission in the last two years in this area, 1,464 apartments have been permitted (all before the LAP was adopted), of which 196 apartments were permitted as BTR. Construction has not yet commenced on any of these SHDs. Unless permission is specifically sought for a BTR development as per the Apartment Guidelines, the planning authority has no remit to restrict the sale/rent of other houses or apartments.