COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, January 12, 2026

QUESTION NO. 29

QUESTION: Councillor F. Timmons

To ask the Chief Executive for a report into SDCC ability to use Compulsory Purchase Orders and to outline the process involved?

REPLY:

SDCC, as a planning authority and housing authority, has statutory powers to acquire land compulsorily for the purpose of carrying out its statutory functions, in particular the delivery of housing and essential public infrastructure. These powers arise primarily under the Planning and Development Acts 2000–2023 and the Housing Acts 1966–2023, and are supplemented by roads and infrastructure legislation where land is required to deliver transport and enabling infrastructure in accordance with adopted plans.

The use of a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) must be clearly justified by reference to a defined public purpose, must be necessary to enable delivery of a specific housing or infrastructure project, and must be proportionate in scale and extent. The justification for the use of a CPO is critically important and must be grounded in a policy context for a specific purpose, where for instance in the case of housing provision, the land proposed to be acquired should be designated for the purposes of housing delivery and/or the regeneration of land or the relevant land should be required to facilitate access or service provision to directly support housing delivery. CPOs are a lawful but targeted mechanism, generally used where acquisition by agreement has not been achievable.

At a high level, the CPO process involves identification of the lands required, preparation of a justification report, preparation of statutory maps and schedules, authorisation by Chief Executive Order, public notice and notification to affected parties, consideration by An Coimisiún Pleanála (including oral hearing where required), confirmation of the Order, and the subsequent acquisition of the lands and settlement of compensation in accordance with statutory provisions.