COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SPECIAL MEETING OF COUNTY COUNCIL

Friday, June 19, 2026

MOTION NO.

MOTION: Councillor W. Carey

Ballynakelly - Amendment 1 - Motion: This Council agrees to insert a new point 6 in CS9 SLO 5 to read:

'Development may not commence until the Council has approved a master plan the land'

Reason: To ensure that development on these lands is plan led as determined by the Council Proposed by, Cllr Carey, Dunne, Whelan & Mannion

CE Response: 

The motion seeks to amend the CS9 SLO5 in relation to the Ballynakelly site proposed under the Variation No. 2 to insert a new Item 6 to read: 'Development may not commence until the Council has approved a master plan the land.’ 

Amendment No. 1 at Ballynakelly, Newcastle proposes to change 24.47ha of land from Objective Rural ‘RU’ to Objective New Residential ‘RES-N’ (19.56ha) and Open Space ‘OS’ (4.91ha). The Amendment attaches a specific local objective (CS9 SLO5) to the lands as follows: 

‘Development on RES-N zoned land south of Ballynakelly shall be in accordance with a masterplan for the lands to be prepared by the planning authority or in consultation with, and approved by, the planning authority in advance of the submission of a planning application for residential development which provides for, inter alia:  

  1. Delivery of a public park of a minimum of 2 hectares in tandem with, or prior to, development of the site, 
  2. Reservation of a secondary school site of 3 hectares unless otherwise agreed in writing by the planning authority having regard to the requirements of the Department of Education and Youth, 
  3. Active travel connections to the existing Taobh Chnoic Park and land to the east, and  
  4. Use of the existing unfinished structure on site in an early phase of development in a sustainable manner which is compatible with neighbouring residential uses’. 

The SLO as it currently stands requires that ‘zoned land south of Ballynakelly shall be in accordance with a masterplan for the lands to be prepared by the planning authority or in consultation with, and approved by, the planning authority in advance of the submission of a planning application for residential development’. Masterplans are non-statutory planning frameworks to guide development, particularly within larger site where sections may be delivered in phases but require an overall masterplan to ensure all parts are delivered in a co-ordinated manner.  

It is considered that the wording as set out in the SLO is appropriate. However, it is agreed that the Council should have oversight of masterplans through the relevant area committee before they are formally agreed by the planning authority. In this regard it is considered appropriate to amend the SLO to include the need for the masterplan to be noted by the relevant Area Committee before being agreed. 

Conclusion 

The NPF Implementation Guidelines requires Councils to identify the lands needed for delivery of the new targets within the Development Plan period. They also included the need for Councils to consider capacity for up to 50% above the baseline housing growth requirements to provide options for delivery. 

Given the approach taken to the Variation, it is considered that South Dublin has clearly identified sufficient and suitable zoned land to meet the housing shortfall for 2028 with built-in additional capacity consistent with the achievement of the shared goals in the NPF, RSES and County Development Plan in relation to compact growth, accessibility, sustainable mobility and climate action. 

Having regard to the request in the motion it is considered that CS9 SLO5 as proposed, should be amended to include the need for any masterplan to go before the relevant ACM for noting. 

As set out in Section 2 of the CE Report, the OPR has made one recommendation which is that the Planning Authority continue to progress the zoning of additional residential zoned lands, identified as Amendments 1 to no. 16 of the proposed Variation.

CE Recommendation: 

To amend CS9 SLO5 in Variation No. 2, Amendment no. 1 Ballynakelly as follows (proposed change in bold): 

‘Development on RES-N zoned land south of Ballynakelly shall be in accordance with a masterplan for the lands to be prepared by the planning authority or in consultation with, and approved by, the planning authority and noted by the relevant area committee in advance of the submission of a planning application for residential development which provides for, inter alia:  

  1. Delivery of a public park of a minimum of 2 hectares in tandem with, or prior to, development of the site, 
  2. Reservation of a secondary school site of 3 hectares unless otherwise agreed in writing by the planning authority having regard to the requirements of the Department of Education and Youth, 
  3. Active travel connections to the existing Taobh Chnoic Park and land to the east, and  
  4. Use of the existing unfinished structure on site in an early phase of development in a sustainable manner which is compatible with neighbouring residential uses’.