Ministerial guidelines
Development Plans: Guidelines for Planning Authorities
How a council prepares its development plan: the core strategy, mandatory objectives, consultation and monitoring.
Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage · June 2022 · 136 pages
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- | Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | Appendix AAppendix A - Core Strategy Worked Example 1 Standardised Approach This appendix sets out the standardised approach to be taken by planning authorities in preparing the core strategy of their development plan. This standardised or uniform methodology will draw together the different elements and inputs and aid the formulation of a transparent and coherent core strategy. The appendix expands upon the requirements set out in Chapter 4 of the Guidelines, ‘Core Strategy’ and provides some sample core strategy tables and commentary. 1.2 Core Strategy Parameters 1.2.1 Population and Housing Targets In the preparation of the core strategy, a planning authority must address (as per Section 4.3.1. of these Guidelines) both population and housing supply targets for the period of their development plan. The planning authority will be required to clearly document their approach to both these requirements in their core strategy. This must be done in a transparent and easily understandable fashion whereby it is unambiguous to the reader of the plan. The required approach to be followed (steps A-E) are detailed in Section 4.3.1 of these Guidelines and it must be reflected in the core strategy of the plan such that the OPR can easily identify the relevant elements for its plan assessment function overall. 1.2.2 Settlement Capacity Audits A primary input is the ‘Settlement Capacity Audit’ as identified in Section 4.5.2 of these Guidelines. In the past, all local authorities compiled an annual survey of available zoned residential land, for submission to the Department (up to 2014 when it was last requested). This was more formally assembled into the ‘Residential Land Availability Study’ (2015) which provided a national survey of residential land integrated with digital mapping of the lands or sites concerned. A Settlement Capacity Audit is now a key research task of the development plan preparation process to be undertaken by a planning authority. The work should seek to identify and map zoned residential (and mixed-use zoned) lands with residential development potential. This will include (i) lands within the existing built up area (ii) serviced greenfield ‘Tier 1’ tranches of land and (iii) serviceable greenfield ‘Tier 2’ lands. The audit should establish a threshold for the size of site to be included, which may be smaller for city/large urban centres and should include data about each site, including: INFORMATION FORMAT 1. Area of the site m2 2. Site in Built-Up Area Yes/No 3. Services status Tier 1(serviced)/Tier 2(not serviced) 4. Assumed residential density Net homes per hectare 5. Estimated residential unit yield from site Number of homes 6. Planning History Planning Register reference number The output of the audit should be a digital GIS layer with the relevant above attribute information attached, allowing for spatial analysis and overlaying of other layers. This GIS dataset should be published as part of the background material for the development plan. 1 The previous work undertaken for the 2015 ‘Residential Land Availability Study’ by all local authorities provides an established and available digital data resource which can be utilised as basis for updating the audit for use in the development plan. 1 The layer should be published in ITM projection. A specific data schema will be provided by DHLGH for this purpose. 117
- Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | 118 Appendix A | Site Residential Density/Housing Yield The assumptions regarding the residential density that will be delivered on the sites will have a significant influence on the estimate of development potential and should be given careful consideration. Sites with an existing planning permission will have a residential density that can be used as an assessment of the general development potential of the site, with the understanding that there is no guarantee that that particular planning permission will be implemented. For lands that have no planning permission, there may be residential densities that have already been set down in a local area plan and could be used to estimate development potential. For other sites, the residential densities recommended in the Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas, Guidelines for Planning Authorities, 2009 (or in any updated version of these Guidelines) should be used. A distinction should be drawn between sites that are more suited to higher residential density – by virtue of their location close to an urban centre or proximate to public transport – and other sites, less well located. The application of a single standard density across a whole county or settlement level would not reflect the nuance of differentiated density policy and should not be used. A site area/size threshold of 0.5ha has been used in land availability surveys in the past, but particularly in Metropolitan areas, planning authorities should include smaller sites, which, cumulatively and at higher densities may have the potential to deliver a significant amount of housing. An example of a Settlement Capacity Audit map for a settlement is provided below and outlines the detail that should be examined for each settlement, including the number, the area and the estimated residential yield of residential sites in the various categories (existing built up area/Tier 1 serviced and Tier 2 serviceable).
- | Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | Appendix A 1191.2.3 Extant Planning Permissions Information on extant planning permissions for residential development zoned lands should be gathered as part of the Settlement Capacity Audit. It is difficult to make assumptions regarding the deliverability of individual planning permissions and many permissions will, for a number of reasons, not commence development in a timely manner. For undeveloped lands that may have a mixed-use zoning, an examination should be undertaken to determine if the lands fulfil the criteria to be considered within scope for the Residential Zoned Land Tax. In preparing the core strategy and in making the subsequent decisions in relation to residential zonings, the planning authority will need to carefully consider the implications of extant planning permissions on future delivery of housing as per Section 4.4.1 of these Guidelines. In the approach set out in Chapter 4 and this appendix, the planning authority will devise a settlement strategy that identifies a housing target for each settlement (above a certain threshold size) within the county. It will then approach the zoning of lands for housing in accordance with the methodology set out in Chapter 6, giving appropriate focus to core and centrally located housing sites consistent with the sequential test and required consolidation of the built footprint of the settlement. Section 4.4.1 of the Guidelines addresses how lands with extant planning permissions should be considered as part of the core strategy land availability calculation and draws the distinction between permissions that have commenced construction and permissions that are yet to commence. These permissions represent potential housing delivery over the plan period but cannot be considered in isolation to the wider issues involved in the preparation of the core strategy. Source: Dublin Housing Supply Task Force
- Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | 120 Appendix A | 1.3 Settlement Strategy and Core Strategy Table 1.3.1 Allocation of Population/Housing Targets to Settlements The allocation of housing targets to the various settlements identified in the Core Strategy Table (including both the higher-order settlements outlined in the RSES and the smaller settlements identified at development plan stage) is a critical element of the Core Strategy and is discussed in Chapter 4. The Core Strategy Table should be accompanied by a statement which sets out the rationale behind the allocation of housing for each settlement (or ‘Core Strategy Statement’). The existing proportion of population in each settlement should be clearly set out, with the proportion of new population and housing targets allocated to each settlement also clearly set out. The statement should explain any circumstances where an allocation of new population/housing is made for a settlement which would be out of proportion to its overall existing position in the settlement hierarchy. Allocation of significant Growth Targets to non-designated Settlements National Planning Framework policy on settlement growth includes specific provisions which facilitates more expansive population growth in settlements only in particular circumstances. This policy is in response to circumstances in the past where smaller settlements have grown rapidly, on foot of extensive rezoning, in a manner that cannot readily be supported by requisite infrastructure. Going forward, proposals for extensive new growth targeted at smaller settlements in development plans should only be made subject to the provisions of National Policy Objective 9 of the NPF. The Core Strategy Statement should include commentary/justification on any settlements that are to be targeted for growth of this scale. 1.3.2 A Differentiated Approach to Core Strategy Tables The approach to the Core Strategy table described below should be followed by planning authorities to outline the allocation of housing and population across settlements in their counties. However, it is clearly the case that the characteristics of development plans differ quite significantly for the major cities, the larger urban counties and the smaller, predominantly rural counties, therefore a ‘one size fits all’ approach to the level of detail included in the strategy would not be appropriate. Core Strategy for the Cities In the Cities there will be a well understood structure of ‘major town centres’, ‘district centres’ and ‘urban villages’ and while the distinction between the ‘core’ and the ‘periphery’ will be important considerations in targeting growth, there may not be the same discrete hierarchy of settlements as can be found in other counties. The settlement strategy may be focused around particular public transport corridors, transport nodes or major SDZ sites where targets for residential development may be set and the general opportunities for encouraging brownfield and infill densification may be much greater and more pervasive than would be the case for county plans. City–based planning authorities should seek to identify, and provide robust estimates, for areas identified for growth within the city and to also make estimates for residual, infill development potential. Core Strategy for the Larger urban Counties The larger urban counties (those with multiple urban settlements over 5000 population) will be using the core strategy to set out spatial growth targets across potentially a large number of settlements and therefore the level of detail that should be presented in the core strategy table will be more extensive than the smaller counties. In order to formulate a manageable core strategy, planning authorities should decide on a threshold for including settlements which will generally be based on population scale or planned levels of development, but at a minimum, all settlements with a population greater than 1500 population should be included. Core Strategy for the smaller, predominantly rural counties The smaller, more rural local authorities, with relatively few major settlements should tailor the core strategy table accordingly, and will provide a more limited amount of detail, reflective of the smaller number of often small-scale settlements.
- | Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | Appendix A 1211.3.3 C ore Strategy Table The Core Strategy Table should present the settlement hierarchy and set out the broad allocation of housing across these settlements and rural areas, if relevant. The table should set out the housing targets across each settlement and also present the appropriate projected population figure. Detail should be included on the existing population of each settlement, the proportion of population of the county that the settlement represents, that target housing figure and the proportion of the total allocation proposed for each settlement. The Core Strategy Table must be accompanied by a statement, which sets out the rationale behind the allocation of housing across the various settlements. Core Strategy Statement The statement accompanying the core strategy should address the background to the spatial decision making of the strategy. As an example, based on the sample Core Strategy Table above, a statement would be expected to set out background detail on how and why the allocations of population/housing were made. The Core Strategy statement should also set out clearly, in tabular form if necessary, the difference between the quantum of zoned land in various settlements in the existing development plan, relative to proposals for zoning in the Draft Plan. The statement should make clear if, for example, significant additional rezoning is being proposed in the plan or if a significant overzoning of land is to be addressed. Some of the areas to address would include: The allocation of 30% of forecasted population growth to the County Town was made on the basis of the following considerations: • Its existing scale of population and social/community infrastructure, including schools/third level • The large scale of existing (and planned) employment provision. Over 30% of all jobs in the County are located in the County Town, with substantial zoning provision for future employment growth. • Its high level of public transport accessibility both from other settlements in the County and also its accessibility to other, higher order employment centres • A detailed analysis of the carrying capacity of zoned lands, including wastewater and water supply infrastructure, public transport accessibility and environmental/flooding sensitivity • The allocation of 15% of forecasted population growth to ‘Larger Town I’ was made on the basis of the following considerations: • Its existing scale of population and employment provision existing (and planned). Over 10% of all jobs in the County are located in this Town, with additional zoning provision for future employment growth. • A detailed analysis of the carrying capacity of zoned lands, including wastewater and water supply infrastructure, public transport accessibility • Some constraints to development are present, specifically some quite extensive areas at risk of flooding, also a number of designated European sites. The allocation of population/housing has generally followed the scale of proportionality of existing settlement scale, with the exception of ‘District Town III’, which has grown substantially in previous intercensal periods and has some outstanding requirements in relation to social and community infrastructure which must be met before significant additional housing development could be considered. The smaller District Towns (iii to iv) have only relatively limited capacity in relation to wastewater and water supply infrastructure and have been allocated a housing target that reflects this capacity. There are no proposals to increase the population of any settlement beyond 30% over 2016 census levels. The following table shows the shortfall/excess of zoning in each settlement. In the case of the County Town and Larger Town I, a proportion of the excess zoned land was designated as strategic reserve and the remainder rezoned to open space/agricultural use. Additional rezoning of land was required in several of the District Towns. From Housing Targets to Land Use Zoning As referenced in Chapter 4, ‘Ensuring Sufficient Provision of Housing Land/Sites’, it may be necessary to provide some additional serviced, zoned lands in settlements, over and above the minimum required in order to allow a degree of choice and to reflect the fact that not all zoned lands will be released for development during the lifetime of the plan. The allocation of ‘Additional Provision’ lands to settlements, not exceeding 25% of the defined minimum required lands can be considered, subject to the criteria set out in Section 4.4.3. The Core Strategy statement should include detail on all settlements that have been subject to an allocation of ‘Additional Provision’ of lands and the reasons for making that proposed allocation. It is important to note that the target of ensuring that a minimum of 30% of residential development to take the form of ‘infill’ or brownfield development within the existing built up area, will apply to the totality of all lands in a settlement, including any ‘surplus’ lands identified.
- Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | 122 Appendix A | Settlement Population and Housing Land Zoning Required Settlement Type Settlement Name Census 2016 Population Census 2016 (%) Population Target Housing Target (units) Housing Target % Existing Zoning (ha) Zoned land Required (with additional surplus) (ha) Target Residential Density (UPH) Minimum 30% Infill Lands (ha) Remaining 70% lands (non-infill) (ha) Shortfall/ Excess of Zoned Land County 149,722 15,400 5910 405 177 65 112 228 Key Town County Town 20,188 13 4600 1773 30 98 55 40 20 35 43 Self- Sustaining Growth Towns Larger Town I 11,381 8 2300 887 15 79 30 35 10 20 49 Larger Town II 8,040 5 1850 709 12 44 23 35 10 13 21 Larger Town III 9,822 7 1850 709 12 40 22 35 7 15 18 Self- Sustaining Towns District Town I 1,984 1 460 177 3 38 9 30 3 6 29 District Town II 1,840 1 460 177 3 0 8 30 4 4 -8 District Town III 3,591 2 540 207 4 12 10 30 3 7 2 District Town IV 1,620 1 460 177 3 0 8 30 3 5 -8 District Town V 280 0 80 30 1 0 2 30 1 1 -2 Strong Villages Smaller Villages 15,698 10 570 220 4 94 10 25 4 6 84 Rural Areas 75278 50 2190 844 14
- | Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | Appendix A 1231.3.4 Rural Population/Housing Targets For development plans with rural areas, the Core Strategy must also contain the classification of differing rural area types required under the Guidelines on Sustainable Rural Housing, 2005 including the depiction of these areas on the Core Strategy Map. The Department is currently preparing an update to the 2005 Guidelines which will provide further guidance to planning authorities including on the process for classifying rural typologies. The Core Strategy should provide some background information on planning permission activity and housing completion trends across the different rural area types over the previous development plan period. At a minimum, a separate table should be presented which sets out the planning and development trends (number of permitted dwellings and completions) for each of the rural area types over the previous plan period and this data should be used to inform an evidence-based assessment of likely future rural housing demand in these areas, in conjunction with the wider Housing Need Demand Assessment (HNDA) process. The NPF sets as a requirement that planning authorities project the need for single housing in the countryside through the local authority’s overall Housing Need Demand Assessment (HNDA) tool and county development plan2. It is intended that the Core Strategy process will bring to light the balance that is to be struck between strengthening settlements with a level of targeted housing growth while reflecting a realistic estimate of rural housing growth over the lifetime of the plan. Rural Area Type Population (Census 2016) No. of Units Permitted – Previous Development Plan Dwelling Completions 2011-2019 % of Actual Housing completions Per Rural Area Rural areas with high urban influence 624 640 Rural areas with moderate urban influence. 324 314 Highly rural/remote areas 340 340 Total 1,847 1,853 1.3.5 Excess Zoned Residential Land The Core Strategy must demonstrate how the level of any excess of land or housing will be addressed, taking account for example of zoning objectives of previous development plans. Any excess will not normally include lands identified for strategic long-term (i.e. 10 to 15+ year) development as part of Strategic Development Zones or major regeneration sites within the key Metropolitan areas. Later phases of development in these strategic and sustainable development areas can be considered to form part of a strategic land bank within the development plan area that may take a number of development plan cycles to be realised per section 4.4.4 of these Guidelines. For other circumstances, all of the three mechanisms below should be considered to the full in addressing any excess: (1) Prioritising / phasing of development: by indicating on relevant tables and maps, where any ‘Additional Provision’ lands will be regarded as a Long-Term Strategic And Sustainable Development Sites and that proposals for the development of such lands or housing will not be considered for development purposes during the plan period; (2) Alternative Objectives: by indicating lands that will be considered for alternative appropriate uses within the plan period such as employment, amenity, community or other uses; (3) Discontinuing the Objective: by deletion of the zoning objective and related lands from the written statement and maps of the development plan. 2 National Policy Objective 20
- Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | 124 Appendix A | 1.3.6. Settlement Consolidation Site Maps A new provision of the Development Plan Guidelines is the need to designate ‘Settlement Consolidation Sites’ within each settlement with a population greater than 10,000 persons. Planning authorities may also consider identifying Settlement Consolidation Sites in towns of <10000 population where such identification would assist in the regeneration of a town designated as a growth centre in the relevant Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy or where the town has an important role as a service or employment centre in the settlement hierarchy of the development plan. The designation of these Settlement Consolidation Sites will give effect to the requirement set out in the NPF regarding compact growth targets. The Settlement Hierarchy maps will indicate the available zoned residential and mixed use land with residential development potential in each settlement and will specifically designate and identify the centrally located, infill, ‘Settlement Consolidation Sites’. Planning authorities are required to designate Settlement Consolidation Sites spatially sequential outwards from the settlement core. Settlement Consolidation Sites will not be located at the periphery of the settlement. In settlements with a population range of between 5000 and 20,000, the Settlement Consolidation Sites will be generally within 1km from the centre of the settlement, as the crow flies. In settlements with a population greater than 20,000, the Settlement Consolidation Sites will be generally within 1.5km from the centre of the settlement. This distance-from-the-centre definition has some flexibility as it must take account for local geographical nuances or settlement context, for example topography, local features such as water courses/bodies or indeed an important heritage feature or archaeological zone. An example of a Settlement Consolidation Site map is set out below. Settlement Consolidation Sites 2000 1500 1000 500 © Ordnance Survey Ireland 2019 Legend CSO Settlement Boundary Settlement Consolidation Sites Other Residential Sites Settlement Consolidation Sites
- | Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | Appendix A 1251.4 Enterprise & Employment Z oning Local authorities may formulate a methodology that suits their own enterprise/employment profile and local characteristics, but the approach should provide a logic to the quantum of lands proposed for zoning and should generally follow the approach outlined below: • Population targets The Core Strategy will include population targets for the Plan area, which will be disaggregated to settlement level. These will form the basis of the analysis. • Jobs ratio Ratio of jobs to resident workforce33. This figure will provide an indication of the scale of commuting flows in and out of the County and at settlement level. The Economic Strategy may have some objectives or target to improve the jobs ratio of the County or certain settlements. It is important that these objectives provide a realistic scenario of the future. The NPF sets as an objective that “future jobs growth would be geographically more distributed, but to a limited number of larger and regionally distributed centres, to include the North and West and Midlands”. Some development plans have, in the past, provided growth targets for employment in excess of 100% for relatively small settlements over time, if they are to meet notional jobs ratio targets. Trends in relation to the location of employment, which have tended toward a concentration in larger urban centres, are highly unlikely to undergo a radical shift of this scale toward smaller settlements and land-use zoning proposals in development plans should not reflect wholly unrealistic employment targets. • Labour force participation rate Labour force participation rate at County level is made available by the CSO. The Labour Force participation rate differs from County to County based on demographic profile. • Future potential workforce A broad-based estimate of future potential workforce in the County/City, derived from the data points above, should be indicated in the development plan. This should be done in order to provide a basis for employment/enterprise land-use zoning. • Employment Zoning Requirements An estimate of the potential land requirement for employment purposes can be made based on assumptions around the number of jobs per square metre of employment floorspace or jobs per hectare. The development plan will have an economic strategy chapter. There will be a close interaction between the development plan and the Local Economic and Community Plan. The LECPs should provide some very useful baseline information about the nature of the local economy, in terms of local specialisations and many local authorities have provided very detailed socio-economic baseline studies as part of the process. The LECPs must be consistent with the provisions of the development plan. Many of the economic development objectives that are developed in the LECPs will have an overlap and a spatial dimension that will require reflecting through the development plan process. Sequential Test and Accessibility Accessibility is a central consideration in selecting employment zonings and the transport provision of potential locations for development needs to be strategically considered: • Low intensity employment uses such as distribution, warehouse, storage and logistics facilities will require good access to the major road network; • High intensity employment uses such as offices will require the highest level of accessibility by public transport, walking and cycling. The sequential approach to land-use zoning will also apply, with lands contiguous to existing development within a settlement being prioritised for high-intensity employment zoning ahead of lands located further on the periphery of the settlement. 3 A ratio of 1.0 means that there is one job for every resident worker in a settlement and indicates a balance, although not a match, as some resident workers will be employed elsewhere and vice-versa. Ratios of more than 1.0 indicate a net in-flow of workers and of less than 1.0, a net out-flow. The extent to which the ratio is greater or less than 1.0, is also generally indicative of the extent to which a town has a wider area service and employment role, rather than as a commuter settlement
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