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 L. O'Toole with Councillor F. Timmons

That this Council rejects the CE recommendation for Haughan’s field and  proposes an amendment to variation no. 2 to the County Development plan to zone these lands to Residential RES with an SLO on the lands as follows: No development shall commence until a masterplan has been agreed with the planning authority showing how approximately 2 ha maximum of land within the RES zoning will be integrated as part of housing development to deliver a sports centre / facility for local sports club including pitch, clubhouse and training pitches. 

REASON:

To deliver much needed housing on fully serviced lands alongside needed local sporting facilities, pitches and clubhouse.

CE Response: 

The motion seeks to zone 7.22 hectares of land as New-Residential, located in Cornerpark at Haughans Field. The motion requests the rezoning is accompanied by an SLO as follows:  

‘No development shall commence until a masterplan has been agreed with the planning authority showing how approximately 2 ha maximum of land within the RES zoning will be integrated as part of housing development to deliver a sports centre / facility for local sports club including pitch, clubhouse and training pitches.’          

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. Planning authorities are requested to implement or address recommendation(s) made by the Office in order to ensure consistency with the relevant policy and legislative provisions. 

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,indicatedthat 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 identifieslands which significantly increase the capacity of the county to deliver the baseline target of 11,699 units to 2028 through providing anadditional156.5 hectares with an equivalent potential for 7,324 dwellings. In total this provides capacity for 16,937 units which incorporates c. 45%additionalprovision over the baseline requirement. 

Compact, Smart, Sustainable Growth 

Newcastle is identified as a ‘Self-Sustaining Growth Town’ in the County Development Plan based on past and targeted growth. Self Sustaining Growth Towns are described as containing ‘a moderate level of jobs and services – includes sub-county market towns and commuter towns with good transport links and capacity for continued commensurate growth to become more self-sustaining’.

Newcastle’s population has expanded rapidly in recent decades; there has been a 200.5% growth between the years 2006 and 2022.  As of the 2022 census, Newcastle had a population of 4,526 persons. Between Q3 2022 and the end of Q1 2026 (i.e. after the census in 2022) there were 342 units completed in Newcastle, amounting to an increase of an estimated 992 people (estimating an average persons per dwelling of 2.9 persons) suggesting a current total population of approximately 5,500 persons. Newcastle is classified under Metropolitan Towns and Villages (>1,500 population) and as such NPO 17 applies

The National Planning Framework (NPF) First Revision states National Policy Objective (NPO 17) as:  

In each Regional Assembly area, settlements not identified in Policy 4 or 5 of this Framework, may be identified for significant (i.e. 30% or more above 2022 population levels) rates of population growth at regional and local planning stages, provided this is subject to: 

The overall population growth target referred to in NPO 3 for the Eastern and Midlands region is 50% of new housing within Dublin City and Suburbs footprint and 30% of all new housing elsewhere within existing urban footprints. 

In relation to NPO 17, it is applicable to Newcastle. Newcastle has seen an increase of approximately 22% from the Census 2022 figures, this is below the 30% referenced in the NPO but alongside the existing lands and the proposed Variation Amendment no. 1, there is potential for growth to exceed the 30% by 2028 or shortly thereafter. 

Proposed Variation 

In recognising that there has been significant and ongoing growth in the last decade or more in Newcastle, the Planning Authority has not put forward significant areas for further housing development in Newcastle in this proposed variation. However, it was considered appropriate and beneficial to the wider area to rezone lands at Ballynakelly, as outlined in Amendment no. 1 of the proposed Variation. 

A significant influence in identifying the lands within Amendment no. 1 in Newcastle was the inclusion of brownfield lands within it, the existing access point to the unfinished development which has been designed in to adjacent development and the ability to link the proposed residential zoning to open space amenity lands and provide for the reservation of a school site. In this context, it is considered to meet key objective of NPO 17, outlined above. The Amendment lands also align well with the Development Plan requirement to align development with infrastructure and amenities, while also facilitating the County Development Plan objective COS8 SLO1 to identify a school site for this catchment area. 

While the added value being proposed for local sporting facilities is recognised and the proposed location has merits in terms of sequential growth, having regard to the reasons outlined above and to the fact that the Variation identifies sufficient and suitable land to meet the requirements of the new targets and additional provision, it is considered that the rezoning of Haughan’s Field in Cornerpark is unnecessary and may lead to excessive growth in Newcastle at this time. 

Preliminary Environmental Evaluation

A preliminary environmental evaluations in the context of Strategic Environmental Assessment, Appropriate Assessment and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment were carried out during the public consultation process and can be found on page 806-807 of the CE Report.  

'SEA: A relatively large site these lands could potentially conflict with material asset Strategic Environmental Objectives (SEOs) given the absence of public transport, poor linkages to existing settlement and potential loss of limited hedgerow network. There is risk of conflict 806 with population, human health, and climate change SEOs due to lack of viable public transport issues. It is uncertain if there is risk in relation to water and wastewater services. Given that Newcastle has grown considerably under the Local Area Plan, 22% since the 2022 census alone, it is important to ensure

AA: Given the presence of hydrological pathway, the potential for likely significant effects would not be ruled out at the screening stage and these proposed amendments would need to be subject to appropriate assessment and consideration as part of the Natura Impact Report (NIR) of the proposed Variation. It is noted that the NIR of the proposed Variation identified conceivable impacts arising from land use activities associated with future residential development. The NIR has set out all necessary safeguards to ensure that the implementation of the proposed Variation, and the land use activities arising from it, will not result in adverse effects in European Sites. These lands would require further investigation to ensure the safeguards that are set out in the existing NIR will provide appropriate protection to European Sites from any land use activities that may arise from future residential development at this location.

SFRA: The lands are not within Flood Zones A or B.'

Conclusion 

In summary, Newcastle has seen significant growth over the past two decades. Given this, it is important that the Planning Authority phases further growth in a manner consistent with sustainable development. The lands proposed in Amendment no. 1 of the Variation fulfil the provision for additional housing in Newcastle and meet the needs of the wider area at this time.  

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.  

CE Recommendation: 

No change to the proposed Variation