COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SPECIAL MEETING OF COUNTY COUNCIL

Friday, June 19, 2026

MOTION NO.

MOTION: Councillor L. de Courcy

To reject Amendment No. 13 Rathcoole and to retain the SSR on the lands.

REASONS Road infrastructure: While the construction of the 'Western Orbital Route' Road as part of the six-year road programme in the County Development Plan...The description of this road in the County Development Plan, Table 7.5 is that it will provide a 'link between the N7 and the N4 Leixlip Interchange with a route by-pass function around Rathcoole and Saggart and the potential for a further extension of this route from the N7 to the N81 is welcome, traffic is currently heavily congested for long periods of the morning and afternoon/evening, due, in no small part to the traffic in and out of Greenogue Business Park. The proposed removing of the SSR designation should be delayed until at least construction of the orbital route has commenced. Public transport options from Rathcoole to the city centre are limited to two infrequent bus routes (69, hourly & 126, every 40 minutes). The Luas is at capacity, and it is a 60-minute walk from Whitehouse Lane. Building homes to the west of Rathcoole with limited public transport options will force more people to rely on private vehicles, further contributing to the existing congestion problems. Education: As per COS8 SLO 1 To identify a site for the appropriate location of a new post primary school within the Neighbourhood catchment area by the Department of Education. An acknowledgement by the Department of Education of the Variation's proposal is not a commitment to build a secondary school. The proposed removing of the SSR designation should be delayed until at least construction of the school has commenced.

CE Response:

Zoning History

The proposed motion requests the council to postpone the proposed Variation rezoning at Rathcoole (Amendment no. 13). The stated reasoning behind this is that transport and education facilities are under pressure and the Strategic Residential Reserve (SRR) designation should be delayed until the construction of the Western Orbital Route and a school has commenced. 

Amendment no. 13 proposes to remove the SRR designation to lands, consisting of approximately 2 hectares, which are located along Whitehouse Lane, off Windmill Road to the west of Rathcoole with the Applegreen Service Station lying to the north along the N7.  

The proposed site has been zoned ‘RES-N’ since South Dublin County Council Development Plan 2016-2022. However, the site remained undeveloped during the plan period. During the preparation of the South Dublin County Council Development Plan 2022–2028, it was determined that sufficient land was zoned at the time to reach the county’s population targets, as set out in the Core Strategy and Settlement Strategy Chapter. As such, while retaining the underlying zoning, the site was designated to be a ‘Strategic Residential Reserve’ (SRR) in 2022 with the intention that the lands would be delivered when needed.  

Variation Context and Process 

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. 

The Settlement Capacity Audit (SCA) presented to Councillors in October 2025, indicated that by the end of 2028 the current zoned land in the county could deliver 9,613 dwellings based on a business-as-usual model. The NPF Revised baseline housing target for the county to 2028 is 11,699 dwellings, resulting in an identified shortfall of lands to deliver 2,086 units.  

Following the full review process Variation No. 2 identifies lands which significantly increase the capacity of the county to deliver the baseline target of 11,699 units to 2028 through providing an additional 156.5 hectares with an equivalent potential for 7,324 dwellings. In total this provides capacity for 16,937 units which incorporates c. 45% additional provision over the baseline requirement. In this context, the subject site had already been designated for new residential development since 2016 and so was included in the proposed Variation.  

As identified in the settlement capacity audit, the Council requires more zoned land to accommodate the revised housing targets.  These lands in Rathcoole are already zoned through the reserve function of the Members as part of the adoption of the 2016 CDP. The proposed Variation is simply removing a designation put on the lands at a time when the targets were less and the lands were not required.  

Western Orbital Route 

Table 7.5 in the County Development Plan as adopted sets out the Six Year Road Programme. It includes what is called the ‘Western Dublin Orbital Route’. The description of this route is set out in the table as: 

‘New road from the N7 to the N4 Leixlip Interchange with an extension to the N81’.   

The table also includes a description of the ‘Function’ of the road, which is described as: 

New Road to link between the N7 and the N4 Leixlip Interchange with a route by-pass function around Rathcoole and Saggart and the potential for a further extension of this route from the N7 to the N81. The function of this route would be primarily to provide resilience to the M50, recognising that this may also provide additional resilience to peripheral roads within the county, in particular between the N7 and N4. Further connections and possible alternative routes will be determined through the review of the NTA’s GDA Strategy and in consultation with TII and relevant local authorities. In any such route a primary objective of South Dublin County Council shall be to protect environmentally sensitive areas including the alluvial woodlands at Rathcoole, the scenic Liffey Valley parklands, and amenities at Lucan Demesne and St Catherine’s Park and Lucan Village and no proposals to continue a road over these lands will be considered. 

The Planning Authority acknowledges that the existing road network in the Saggart / Rathcoole / Citywest area experiences peak-hour congestion, particularly on radial routes linking to the N7 corridor and within local distributor roads during morning and evening commuting periods. 

Regarding this, the County Development Plan includes Objective SM6 SLO 1—to comprehensively assess transport needs across the wider western area, including Rathcoole, Saggart, Newcastle and their hinterlands.  

The Council is currently engaging consultants to identify the transport needs and solutions for the western area of the County which will include Rathcoole. It is envisaged that the Transport Assessment and Transport Plan will be developed using an Area-Based Transport Assessment (ABTA) methodology, in accordance with TII and NTA guidance, and that one or more Local Transport Plans will be prepared. Subject to the final scope, the process is expected to include public consultation and will assess existing and future travel demand across all transport modes, review existing and planned transport infrastructure and services, identify the need for additional transport interventions, assess options including phasing and cost implications, and identify an integrated package of transport solutions.  

In parallel, the transport study will include the identification of interim measures to address existing traffic and mobility challenges in the short to medium term. This ensures that development can proceed in a managed and responsive manner while longer-term strategic solutions are being defined and progressed. The Council is taking a proactive, structured, and transparent approach, including public consultation and environmental assessment. This is a more appropriate and sustainable framework than tying development to a single infrastructure trigger in advance of the study’s conclusions. 

Introducing the motion’s request to delay the removal of the Strategic Residential Reserve designation until the construction of the Western Orbital Route has commenced, will result in an overly restrictive approach to development of these modest lands and risks the delivery of housing. Any future development of this site will also be subject to a traffic and transport assessment. 

Schools 

In relation to the motion’s concerns around schools, provision for a post primary school has been made for this school catchment as part of CS9 SLO5 in Amendment no 1. at Ballynakelly, Newcastle, which requires as point 2:  

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

It is also noted that there are a number of major school projects underway in Rathcoole:  

- Rathcoole ETNS project is currently at Stage 2b (Detailed Design). Permission has been granted in Q4 2024 for a new primary school at Lands south of Coolamber Drive, Rathcoole, Co. Dublin (Planning Ref. SD23A/0336).  

- Major Project at Holy Family Community School, Rathcoole, for a new post-primary school. The project is currently under construction. (Planning Ref. SD16A/0029 and SD16A/0029/EP).  

- Major Project at Scoil Chronáin Primary School, Rathcoole, to provide a new replacement school is currently at Stage 3 (Tender Stage). This project was identified in the First Tranche of NDP Rollout by the Department of Education and Youth in Q1 2026. 

 

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 evidence based 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. 

The subject site has been zoned for residential development since 2016, as part of the adoption by Members of the County Development Plan 2016-2022. The SSR was included on the site at time when there was an overprovision of land to meet the targets set by the government. The Revised NPF has set new increased targets and it is now appropriate that the strategic residential reserve attached to the lands is removed.   

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. 

On this basis, it is recommended that Amendment no. 13 should be adopted.

CE Recommendation: 

No change to Amendment no. 13 Rathcoole, to the proposed Variation of the County Development Plan 2022-2028.