National Planning Framework
Project Ireland 2040: National Planning Framework
The original framework, replaced by the 2025 revision. Development plans adopted before 2025 were made under it.
Government of Ireland · February 2018 · 182 pages
Superseded Replaced by National Planning Framework: First Revision. It is kept because plans made while it was in force refer to it.
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- 6.5 Childcare, Education and Life Long Learning Childcare Access to affordable and high quality childcare is an essential requirement for an equitable society, a thriving economy and sustainable communities and is a critical part of our nation’s infrastructure. Childcare provision in Ireland is reaching capacity and new planning approaches and sustained investment will be required, particularly in areas of disadvantage and population growth, to increase capacity and enable existing services to meet regulatory and quality requirements. Investment in high quality, affordable childcare (including school-age childcare) and in Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) is critical both as an educational support for children, and as a prerequisite of job creation and labour market participation. The Department of Children and Youth Affairs will work to put in place a more effective childcare planning function, to monitor, analyse and forecast childcare demand and supply in order to identify and plan medium- to long-term capital requirements. This function will take account of demand side factors and the various options for childcare delivery (e.g. centrebased and home-based provision) as well as working with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government and local authorities through the planning process more generally to ensure effective access to childcare provision as an integral element of the overall development process. Education Education has been critical to Ireland’s transformation over recent decades. Education, training and life-long learning are key enablers, around which personal fulfilment, a fair society and a successful nation revolve. All are central to sustaining economic success and building strong communities. In knowledge-based economies, education underpins growth as it is the main driver of technological innovation and productivity. Accessing a high standard of education is a priority now and in the future, having a major impact on people’s quality of life. A lack of skills and competencies limits access to good jobs and economic prosperity, increases the risk of social exclusion and poverty, and may hinder a full participation in civic and political affairs. The schools system is experiencing significant pressures in catering for additional student numbers in certain parts of the country where a high level of population growth has occurred, which is projected to continue until at least 2025. Equally, the viability of some schools has been questioned in other parts experiencing population decline. The further education and training sectors have been reformed and consolidated to offer a broad range of flexible high-quality programmes to meet the needs of learners to enable them to develop skills leading to awards of levels 1 to 6 on the National Framework of Qualifications and to progress to employment and/ or higher education. Provision offers learners the opportunity to up-skill, re-skill and acquire new skills to support career transition and progression. 89Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework
- In the Higher Education sector, the development of Technological Universities has the potential to deliver greater opportunity to students in the regions served, to staff working in the institutions, and to the broader local economy and society. By creating institutions of scale and strength, multi-campus technological universities will bring greater social and economic benefits to their regions through a strengthened role in research and innovation and the delivery of a broad range of high quality education and training in each of their campuses. Strategic planning of and investment in the provision of childcare, education and training are central to reinforcing the delivery of sustainable communities, promoting inclusion and offering choice and accessibility to a high standard of education and employment. This means that the National Planning Framework will seek to prioritise the alignment of targeted and planned population and employment growth with educational investment: National Policy Objective 31 Prioritise the alignment of targeted and planned population and employment growth with investment in: A childcare/ECCE planning function, for monitoring, analysis and forecasting of investment needs, including identification of regional priorities; The provision of childcare facilities and new and refurbished schools on welllocated sites within or close to existing built-up areas, that meet the diverse needs of local populations; The expansion and consolidation of Higher Education facilities, particularly where this will contribute to wider regional development, and Programmes for life-long learning, especially in areas of higher education and further education and training where skills gaps are identified. In the Higher Education sector, the development of Technological Universities has the potential to deliver greater opportunity to students in the regions served, to staff working in the institutions, and to the broader local economy and society. 90Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework
- The long term vision for Ireland’s housing future aims to balance the provision of good quality housing that meets the needs of a diverse population, in a way that makes our cities, towns, villages and rural areas good places to live now and in the future. 6.6 Housing Homes are both the places where we live and the foundation stone from which wider communities and their quality of lives are created. There is a projected total requirement to accommodate 550,000 additional households to 2040. National Policy Objective 32 To target the delivery of 550,000 additional households to 2040. The long-term vision for Ireland’s housing future aims to balance the provision of good quality housing that meets the needs of a diverse population, in a way that makes our cities, towns, villages and rural areas good places to live now and in the future. PRIORITIES AND PRINCIPLES Nationally, the high level policy priorities in the housing sector to 2040 are as follows: Location of Homes - Addressing the longterm spatial distribution of housing. Building Resilience - Re-use, adaptability and accessibility in our housing stock, ensuring integration to deliver vibrant sustainable communities. Need and Demand Profile - Charting national housing pressures to 2040. Reconciling Future Housing Requirements Effectively - Establishment of a comprehensive evidence base to support and inform housing policies and implementation measures. NATIONAL CORE PRINCIPLES ARE SET OUT TO GUIDE THE DELIVERY OF FUTURE HOUSING, AT EVERY LEVEL OF GOVERNANCE: Ensure a high standard quality of life to future residents as well as environmentally and socially sustainable housing and placemaking through integrated planning and consistently excellent design. Allow for choice in housing location, type, tenure and accommodation in responding to need. Prioritise the location of new housing provision in existing settlements as a means to maximising a better quality of life for people through accessing services, ensuring a more efficient use of land and allowing for greater integration with existing infrastructure. Tailor the scale and nature of future housing provision to the size and type of settlement where it is planned to be located. Integrate housing strategies where settlements straddle boundaries (county and/ or regional). Utilise existing housing stock as a means to meeting future demand. 91Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework
- Ireland’s future homes will: be located in places that can support sustainable development - places which support growth, innovation and the efficient provision of infrastructure, are accessible to a range of local services, can encourage the use of public transport, walking and cycling, and help tackle climate change;. be delivered in our cities and larger towns (where large scale housing demand exists), where homes and the appropriate supporting services can be delivered more efficiently and effectively at less cost to the State in the long-run, and still be located in our smaller towns, villages and rural areas, including the countryside, but at an appropriate scale that does not detract from the capacity of our larger towns and cities to deliver homes more sustainably. Location of Homes Future homes are required to be located where people have the best opportunities to access a high standard quality of life. In Ireland, the location of housing has taken on a dispersed and fragmented character which has led to people living further away from their jobs and often being at a sizeable remove from important services such as education and healthcare. Development sprawl at every settlement level in Ireland has manifested as scattered development, ‘leapfrogging’, continuous suburbs and linear patterns of strip or ribbon development. This type of development has made it costly and often unfeasible for the State to align and invest in infrastructure delivery where it cannot be justified. It has also hampered effective responses to climate change, compounded issues such as congestion and pollution, increased commuting times and has had an overall negative impact on people’s health and wellbeing. National Policy Objective 33 Prioritise the provision of new homes at locations that can support sustainable development and at an appropriate scale of provision relative to location. 92Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework
- Building Resilience in Housing Building stock that is in a state of obsolescence has the potential to offer transformative options for housing and as part of the original fabric of some settlements can serve to further preserve the heritage and cultural identity of a place. Reuse of existing building stock must be accounted for and considered as part of any evidence basis for housing policy formation and at a local level, this will form part of development plan core strategies. Any new home will have to accommodate changing needs over its lifetime. A liveable and adaptable housing development or house is one that is able to respond effectively to these needs without requiring costly and energy intensive alterations. Our population is changing rapidly, with average households becoming both smaller in size and older as an increasing number of people live independently in their later years. The balance between home and work life also places altering demands on our houses as many people choose to work from home. National Policy Objective 34 Support the provision of lifetime adaptable homes that can accommodate the changing needs of a household over time. Historically, low-density housing development has been a feature of Ireland’s housing landscape in cities, towns, villages and the countryside. To avoid urban sprawl and the pressure that it puts on both the environment and infrastructure demands, increased residential densities are required in our urban areas. Well designed and located higher density housing will assist: Fast-growing urban areas to achieve much needed scale; Medium-sized urban areas to find a route to quality in a new competitive framework; All urban areas to increase vibrancy and vitality; Increased efficiency and sustainability in the use of energy and public infrastructure The infill/brownfield targets set out in NPOs 3a, 3b and 3c of this Framework will necessitate a significant and sustained increase in urban housing output and apartment type development in particular, if we are to avoid a continuation of the outward expansion of cities and larger urban areas. While apartments made up 12% of all occupied households in Ireland and 35% of occupied households in the Dublin City Council area in 2016 (Census data), we are a long way behind European averages in terms of the numbers and proportion of households living in apartments, especially in our cities and larger towns. In many European countries, it is normal to see 40%-60% of households living in apartments. To more effectively address the challenge of meeting the housing needs of a growing population in our key urban areas, it is clear that we need to build inwards and upwards, rather than outwards. This means that apartments will need to become a more prevalent form of housing, particularly in Ireland’s cities. This is underpinned by on-going population growth, a long-term move towards smaller average household size, an ageing and more diverse population, greater mobility in the labour market and a higher proportion of households in the rented sector. The economics of apartment construction can be more challenging than that of conventional housing. However, through more effective land management, regeneration and development initiatives, and new planning, regulatory and funding approaches to apartment development, meeting the housing requirements arising in major urban areas for people on a range of incomes a will be a major priority for this Framework and the actions flowing from it. National Policy Objective 35 Increase residential density in settlements, through a range of measures including reductions in vacancy, re-use of existing buildings, infill development schemes, area or site-based regeneration and increased building heights. 93Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework
- Housing Demand Between 2018 and 2040, an average output of at least 25,000 new homes will need to be provided in Ireland every year to meet people’s needs for well-located and affordable housing, with increasing demand to cater for one- and two-person households. Within this figure, there is a wide range of differing housing needs that will be required to be met. Achieving this level of supply will require increased housing output into the 2020s to deal with a deficit that has built up since 2010. To meet projected population and economic growth as well as increased household formation, annual housing output will need to increase to 30,000 to 35,000 homes per annum in the years to 2027 and will be subject to monitoring and review. In our cities, the Housing Agency has identified an aggregate need for at least 45,000 new homes in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford up to 2020, more than 30,000 of which are required in Dublin City and suburbs. In the longer term to 2040, there will be a need for provision of at least 275,000 new homes in the cities, with half of these located in already built-up areas. Chnging Fmily Size Household size continues to decline. Currently, 7 out 10 households in the stte consist of three people or less. Household sizes in urbn res tend to be smller thn in the suburbs or rurl prts of the country. In Dublin city, one, two nd three person households comprise 80 percent of ll households . Yet, the stock of housing in Irelnd is lrgely comprised of detched nd semi-detched houses with three to four bedrooms. in the stte consist of three people or less households Household siz in urbn res tend to be smller th the suburbs or rurl of the country 7out of10 mily Size size continues to decline. Currently, 7 out 10 households in nsist of three people or less. Household sizes in urbn res mller thn in the suburbs or rurl prts of the country. In one, two nd three person households comprise 80 percent holds . Yet, the stock of housing in Irelnd is lrgely of detched nd semi-detched houses with three to four st of ss Household sizes in urbn res tend to be smller thn in the suburbs or rurl prts of the country Chnging Fmily Size Household size continues to decli the stte consist of three people o tend to be smller thn in the sub Dublin city, one, two nd three pe of ll households . Yet, the stock o comprised of detched nd semibedrooms. in the stte consist of three people or less households 7out of10 94Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework
- Social Housing The provision by Government of housing supports for those unable to provide for accommodation from within their own resources is a key social policy and it affects a significant proportion of the population. Actions taken by public bodies in relation to social housing can have a considerable impact on the overall housing market and, equally, fiscal or regulatory measures in relation to the housing market can have an effect on the availability of social housing. Adding more properties to areas that are already dense with social housing, or to areas that are unable to support further population, can create serious problems within communities. Diverse neighbourhoods with a balance of public and private housing create the healthiest communities. Changing Family Size Currently, 7 out 10 households in the State consist of three people or less, with an average household size of 2.75 people. This is expected to decline to around 2.5 people per household by 2040. Household sizes in urban areas tend to be smaller than in the suburbs or rural parts of the country. In Dublin city, one, two and three person households comprise 80 percent of all households36. Yet, the stock of housing in Ireland is largely comprised of detached and semi-detached houses with three to four bedrooms. Students Demand for student accommodation exacerbates the demand pressures on the available supply of rental accommodation in urban areas in particular. In the years ahead, student accommodation pressures are anticipated to increase37. The location of purposebuilt student accommodation needs to be as proximate as possible to the centre of education, as well as being connected to accessible infrastructure such as walking, cycling and public transport. The National Student Accommodation Strategy supports these objectives. Affordable Homes In addition to the significant investment in social housing as outlined in Rebuilding Ireland and the National Development Plan, we also need to ensure that more affordable homes are built for sale or rent, particularly in our cities, towns and villages, enabling people to choose to live within their communities and closer to where they work. This will be facilitated through more proactive land management and coordinated and efficient provision of enabling infrastructure, particularly on local authority and State-owned lands, as well as providing flexibility on design and density, particularly in our urban cores, to enable more cost-efficient construction and variety of homes aimed at first-time buyers. Reconciling Future Housing Requirements Effectively The housing sector is more complex since the first local authority Housing Strategies were prepared in the years following the enactment of the Planning and Development Act 2000. In line with commitments under the Government’s Action Programme on Housing and Homelessness – Rebuilding Ireland – and building on new initiatives such as the Housing Agency National Statement on Housing Need and Demand, enhanced methodologies and statutory guidelines will be put in place taking into consideration the varying housing needs that are required to be met, including the housing needs of older people, people with disabilities, the travelling community, social housing generally, families of varying sizes and income levels and students. Managing the future location, typology and tenure of housing requires a significant robust evidence base and approach to implementation. More and better housing data at national, regional, county and settlement level is needed to understand housing conditions and the housing needs of people in Ireland, in order to develop informed, cost-effective, policies, programmes and funding initiatives. Projecting housing requirements more accurately into the future at a Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy and local authority development plan level (e.g. through Core Strategies) will be enabled by the provision of new statutory guidelines to ensure consistency of approach, implementation and monitoring. National Policy Objective 36 New statutory guidelines, supported by wider methodologies and data sources, will be put in place under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act to improve the evidence base, effectiveness and consistency of the planning process for housing provision at regional, metropolitan and local authority levels. This will be supported by the provision of standardised requirements by regulation for the recording of planning and housing data by the local authorities in order to provide a consistent and robust evidence base for housing policy formulation. 95Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework
- Housing Need Demand Assessment In order to ensure that the plan-making system is supported by a robust methodology to inform policies and funding initiatives around housing and associated land requirements, a Housing Need Demand Assessment (HNDA) will be developed by each Local Authority to support the preparation of housing strategies and all related housing policy outputs, e.g. city and county development plans, local area plans, traveller accommodation plans etc. The purpose of the Housing Need Demand Assessment tool is to: Assist local authorities to develop longterm strategic views of housing need across all tenures. Provide a robust evidence base to support decisions about new housing supply, wider investment and housing related services that inform an overall national housing profile. Inform policies about the proportion of social and affordable housing required, including the need for different types and sizes of provision. Provide evidence to inform policies related to the provision of specialist housing and housing related services. The HDNA is a database which allows local authorities to run a number of different scenarios to inform key decisions on housing need and supply. HNDAs are designed to give broad, long run estimates of what future housing need might be, rather than precision estimates. 1 There are a number of key evidence inputs which inform and drive the HNDA model, as follows: Demographic trends, affordability trends and wider economic trends. The use of economic forecasting or econometric work underpins this section. Data requirements include household composition/projections, house prices, rents, number of first time buyers (FTBs) and loan to value (LTV) mortgage rates, economic activity and employment rates etc. Housing Stock Profile Pressures (and existing need) and management issues. Undertaking a detailed profile of local housing stock and stock pressures, including local authority housing, to identify the main pressures relating to supply and demand, ineffective stock and overall condition as well as priorities for future stock management. Information is required on dwelling size, dwelling type, dwelling condition and stock pressures (occupancy/under occupancy stock turnover etc). Estimating Future Housing Need and Demand. This is broken down into: owner occupation, private sector, below market38 rent and social rent. Detailed guidance is provided on how to undertake this work, including how and on what evidence to base assumptions on wealth affordability, both in terms of home ownership and the different rental categories. 96Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework
- National Policy Objective 37 A ‘Housing Need Demand Assessment’ (HNDA) is to be undertaken for each Local Authority Area in order to correlate and accurately align future housing requirements. The HNDA is: to be undertaken by Local Authorities with coordination assistance to be provided by the Regional Assemblies, and also at a Metropolitan scale, particularly where inter-county and inter-regional settlement interactions are to be planned for and managed; to primarily inform housing policies, housing strategies and associated land use zoning policies as well as assisting in determining where new policy areas or investment programmes are to be developed; and to be supported, through the establishment of a coordination and monitoring unit to assist Local Authorities and Regional Assemblies in the development of the HNDA (DHPLG, Regional Assemblies and the Local Authorities). This will involve developing and coordinating a centralised spatial database for Local Authority Housing data that supports the HNDA being undertaken by Local Authorities. 97Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework
- 7.1 Integrated Land and Maritime Planning As an island nation with sovereign rights over one of the largest marine areas in Europe, with a sea: land ratio of 10:1, Ireland’s economy, culture and society are inextricably linked to the sea. Our marine environment is a national asset that yields multiple commercial and non-commercial benefits in terms, of, for example, seafood, tourism, recreation, renewable energy, cultural heritage, and biodiversity. Sustainable utilisation of Ireland’s marine resources, particularly in the nearshore, is dependent to a significant degree on how we manage our resources on land, and how successfully we can align long-term spatial planning for our terrestrial and marine areas through the National Planning Framework and the Marine Spatial Plan. Implementation of the NPF, a principally land-based plan, will evolve in parallel with the EU Directive requirement to develop a national maritime spatial plan by 2021. In developing a Marine Spatial Plan, Ireland will be cognisant of obligations under existing EU law governing activities in our maritime area. While the extent of the maritime spatial area does not directly apply to those areas covered under the provisions of the Planning and Development Acts, there are many shared aims and overlapping areas of co-ordination and activity. The land use planning and developing maritime planning processes will work alongside each other (see figure 7.1). Realising our Island and Marine Potential 98Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework
Source Government of Ireland: Project Ireland 2040: National Planning Framework (February 2018) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.