National Planning Framework
National Planning Framework: First Revision
The national planning strategy to 2040, as revised in April 2025: where growth goes, and the national policy objectives regional and local plans must be consistent with.
Government of Ireland · April 2025 · 195 pages
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- National Planning Framework First Revision | Page 169 Sustainable Management of Environmental Resources 82 Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/d1861-urban-waste-water-treatment-directive/ Biodiversity Biodiversity as defined under Ireland’s 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan 2023 – 2030 is a term that describes the variety of life on earth. It comprises all living things, from plants, birds and mammals, to insects, microbes and fungi, and the ecosystems – bogs, forests, rivers, oceans, grasslands, etc. – that they are a part of. Therefore, the sustainable management of our resources is critical to ensure the avoidance of any further biodiversity loss. The policy objectives and priorities of the Government regarding biodiversity are set out under the 4th National Biodiversity Action Plan as provided for under the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2023. Priority Objectives include: Adopting a whole-of-Government, wholeof-society approach to Biodiversity and for proposed actions to include capacity and resource reviews across Government; determining responsibilities for the expanding biodiversity agenda; providing support for communities, citizen scientists and business; Meeting urgent conservation and restoration needs by building on existing conservation measures. The ambition of the EU Biodiversity Strategy will be considered as part of an evolving work programme across Government; Securing nature’s contribution to people by highlighting the relationship between nature and people in Ireland and recognising the tangible and intangible values of biodiversity, promoting nature’s importance to our culture and heritage and recognising how biodiversity supports our society and our economy; Enhancing the evidence base for Action on Biodiversity focusing on biodiversity research needs, as well as the development and strengthening of long-term monitoring programmes that will underpin and strengthen future decision-making. Action is to also focus on collaboration to advance ecosystem accounting that will contribute towards natural capital accounts; and Strengthening Ireland’s contribution to International Biodiversity initiatives to encourage collaboration with other countries and across the island of Ireland. Implementation of actions within the Plan will contribute towards the 2050 vision that ‘Biodiversity in Ireland is valued, conserved, restored and sustainably used, maintaining ecosystem services, sustaining a healthy planet and delivering benefits essential for all people. Water Climate change will have significant future effects on the availability of water sources and on the capacity of water bodies to assimilate wastewater discharges through lower water levels in rivers and lakes in longer and drier summer periods. The impact of climate change on the water cycle and the resultant impact on water services and flooding therefore need to be considered in settlement strategies. The policy objectives and priorities of the Government regarding the provision of water services are set out in the Water Services Policy Statement 2018-2025 as provided for under section 32A of the Water Services (No.2) Act 2013 (as amended). These objectives focus on the themes of Quality, Conservation and Future Proofing. Priority objectives include: Substantial State investment, through Uisce Éireann and the Rural Water Programme, to improve compliance with public health and environmental standards, with particular reference to the River Basin Management Plan for Ireland. Bringing and maintaining public water and wastewater services82 to acceptable international benchmarks, verified by independent monitoring and reporting. Achieving improved outcomes in quality in respect of drinking water and in wastewater in relation to rural and private water services. Adopting forward planning and risk management approaches to minimise the impact of noncompliances with all relevant EU Directives and to safeguard against future compliance risks. Embedding conservation at the heart of water policy involves prioritising resource management, abstraction control, source protection, tackling leakage and encouraging behavioural change. National Strategic Outcome 9
- Page 170 | National Planning Framework First Revision The promotion of water conservation and water resource management is to be reflected in strategic investment planning by Uisce Éireann, to include work programmes around leak detection and repair, network improvements, cost effective metering, public awareness campaigns and funding to fix customer side leaks. Water conservation will inform the Working Group on the review of rural water services, and investment decisions in this area. Ensuring that public and private water services investment decisions are aligned with the broad strategic aims of the NPF. Implement the Greater Dublin Strategic Drainage Study, through enlarging capacity in existing wastewater treatment plants (Ringsend) and providing a new treatment plant in North County Dublin – known as the Greater Dublin Drainage (GDD) Project. Adapting water services to withstand the impact of climate change and of such weather-related events. Improving the resilience of rural and private water supplies as part of the review of rural water services currently underway. In relation to priorities for strategic investment planning, the policy statement recognises that implementation of the National Planning Framework requires that plans for public and private water services are aligned with the broad strategic aims of the Framework, which means: Ensuring the growth of our five cities of Dublin, Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick, together with the regional centres identified in the NPF, is supported by the provision of water services investment; Devising detailed network and capacity assessments to support the provision of water services infrastructure that facilitates housing and economic development in the priority towns and urban areas identified in the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies, in order to ensure plan-led development decisions are underpinned by coordinated investment plans; and Supporting the growth of identified settlements where these are prioritised in development plan core strategies at a county/city level. Uisce Éireann’s investment priorities are evidence-based and plan-led supporting the strategic approach outlined in the National and Regional Water Resource Plans as well as other focused plans such as the National Wastewater Sludge Management Plan. Effective Waste Management Local Authorities are statutorily responsible for the preparation of waste management plans pursuant to the provisions of the Waste Management Act 1996. The Regional Waste Management Planning Offices published a new National Waste Management Plan for a Circular Economy 2024-2030, which sets out the required actions needed at local and regional levels. The Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022 strengthened provisions in relation to waste management plans, by requiring waste management plans to include indicators and targets relating to the use of products and materials that have been re-used, re-manufactured or repaired. The new National Waste Management Plan will contain targets for reuse, repair, resource consumption and recycling, and address measures such as: enhanced use of civic amenity sites as circular economy hubs; and supporting the development of indigenous waste treatment capacity to reduce reliance on export; Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies and the core strategies of MASPs and city and county development plans will support national and regional waste policy and the efficient use of resources; Biological treatment and increased uptake in anaerobic digestion with safe outlets for bio stabilised residual waste; Development of necessary and appropriate hazardous waste management facilities to avoid the need for treatment elsewhere; Adequate capacity and systems to manage waste, including municipal and construction and demolition waste in an environmentally safe and sustainable manner and remediation of waste sites to mitigate appropriately the risk to environmental and human health.
- National Planning Framework First Revision | Page 171 Access to Quality Childcare, Education and Health Services Our childcare, education and health systems will need to plan ahead in order to meet the implications of an additional one million people by 2040. In particular the health system will need to respond to the projected change to our population increase and age distribution, through the provision of services and supports for an ageing population. Education The provision of early childhood care and education (ECCE), schools, colleges and universities will be critical in the spatial development of cities and regions. They will impact on individual and community development, quality of life, social cohesion, availability of amenities and will be important influencing factors in the areas of research and innovation, inward investment and access to labour markets. Given the changes in future patterns of labour market participation, there will be a need for increased analysis of capital requirements to support investment in childcare in particular. Strategic planning of, and investment in, the provision of childcare, education and training remains central to reinforcing the delivery of sustainable communities, promoting inclusion and offering choice and accessibility to a high standard of education and employment. Planning for childcare, education and training infrastructure to meet increasing demand can be more effectively dealt with in the context of cross-government cooperation through a National Framework supported by strategic investment:- Education Provide additional investments in the schools sector to keep pace with demographic demand and to manage increasing building and site costs so that new and refurbished schools on welllocated sites within or close to existing built-up areas, can meet demographic growth and the diverse needs of local populations; Expand and consolidate third-level facilities at locations where this will further strengthen the capacity of those institutions to deliver the talent necessary to drive economic and social development in the regions. Investment in higher and further education and training will be a key driver of Ireland’s competitiveness. The NPF is aligned with the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, and the Future FET: Transforming Learning, The National Further Education and Training (FET) Strategy. The development of programmes for life-long learning, especially in areas of education and training where skills gaps are identified by employers and the further and higher education and training system, working together through Regional Skills fora, in responding to the skills needs of their regions. Health The development of new healthcare facilities requires that consideration be given to the location, number, profile and needs of the population to ensure access to the most appropriate care, while also ensuring quality of care, particularly in relation to more complex acute hospital services. The ongoing implementation of Sláintecare and the Strategic Healthcare Investment Framework will have an important influence on the type and scale of regional healthcare services. Nationally, the following priorities are identified: Healthy Communities and Healthcare Services in the Community A nationally overarching priority for the health of the population is achieving the objectives of Healthy Ireland and the implementation of the successor to the National Physical Activity Plan, to support active mobility and equitable access to physical activity opportunities, and Healthy Cities and Counties programme, delivered through local authorities. National Strategic Outcome 10
- Page 172 | National Planning Framework First Revision Health and Wellbeing Projects and prevention programmes including the BreastCheck Services and the ongoing fluoridation programme of works. Expanding Community and Primary Care is at the heart of the Sláintecare vision. The development of Primary Care Centres (PCCs) is an important part of this vision. This will include the appropriate provision of PCCs and accommodation based on local service and population needs. Expansion of primary care will involve refurbishments of existing buildings and where necessary new builds. Delivery of the Enhanced Community Care (ECC) Programme which aims to move greater levels of care out of the acute hospital system and deliver care close to peoples’ homes, allowing patients to remain at home and in their community for as long as possible. Continue the transformation of the National Ambulance Service (NAS) from a service that has traditionally transported all patients to hospital for treatment, to a delivery model that is clinically led, where care is provided in the most appropriate place. Services for Older People The Irish Government’s strategic goal is to deliver a new model of integrated older persons health and social care services, across the care continuum supporting older people to remain living independently in their own homes and communities for longer in line with the Sláintecare. It is recognised however that care provided in long term residential care settings will continue to be an important part of the continuum of care for older person people into the future. Development of community-based housing with supports by moving to new models of ‘home-first’ care for older people and ‘Housing with Support’ purpose-built, noninstitutional, ‘own front door’ accommodation with support or care services in conjunction with the Department of Housing. Continuing the National Age Friendly Programme delivering a range of policy supports with local government including transport, walkable streets and community activities and supporting Age Friendly Towns. Delivery of long-term residential care developments based on local need and located centrally in proximity to the community and local services. Development of policy on the design and build for nursing homes, as well as other models of delivery of long-term care for older people to support them to remain living independently in their communities. Integrated Health and Social Care Services Health infrastructure is not just about property and buildings. It is also about the technologies, digital and data sharing capabilities that are needed to provide integrated care. These capabilities must be planned along-side infrastructure including how to leverage digital and technologies to include virtual and digitally enabled care built on a solid foundation of trust, privacy, and cyber resilience. The Irish health service is underpinned by a vast technology landscape which is the largest ICT operating environment in the State. Facilitating the transition of service users across services, providing multi-disciplinary care at the lowest level of complexity close to where people live. Focus on improving access to primary and community care services, including mental health, palliative care, services for older people, social inclusion and addiction support. Implementing Adult Palliative Care Policy and integrated palliative care with services available in the Regions to all those who need them. Mental Health – A Vision for Change Implementing the national Mental Health policy “Sharing the Vision 2020-30” the national suicide reduction policy “Connecting for Life” and the upcoming revision of Mental Health Act. These policies are both in implementation phase and include the delivery of timely and accessible care that reflects a more whole-of-government approach, allied to person-centered and recovery orientated principles.
- National Planning Framework First Revision | Page 173 Incorporation of the planned extension of Mental Health Commission regulation of community Mental Health services (under the new Mental Health Act) which will require significant built environment enhancement. Replacement and provision of additional acute mental health units, residential accommodation and modern facilities for adults and children on a national basis. Acute Hospital Services Continued development of services and infrastructure (acute, cancer, trauma, maternity,) which will be informed by strategy and population requirements as outlined in overall approach to health service planning. There has been significant investment in services and capacity, with further investment and expansion of capacity being informed by population and service requirements across the country. Delivery of the national Paediatric model of care and, in particular, construction of the New Children’s Hospital comprising of the main hospital on the shared campus at St James’s and the now completed two Paediatric Outpatient and Urgent Care Centres at CHI Connolly, Blanchardstown, and CHI Tallaght. Implementation of the new Elective Care Centre Projects and Surgical Hubs, which will provide significant additional capacity and enable the separation of scheduled and unscheduled care.
- Page 174 | National Planning Framework First Revision Appendix 1: National Policy Objectives 83 The five cities and their suburbs as defined by the CSO in the Census of Population. 84 This objective relates to all ‘built up areas’ as defined by CSO. For the purposes of NPO 7, 8 and 9 the built-up footprint is defined as the area given over to urban land uses (i.e. artificial surfaces relating to urban land uses). The built-up footprint shall be clearly defined for each settlement on the land use zoning map as part of the statutory plan making process. National Policy Objectives, 2025 National Policy Objective 1 Ensure that all plans, projects and activities requiring consent arising from the National Planning Framework are subject to the relevant environmental assessment requirements including SEA, EIA, SFRA and AA as appropriate. National Policy Objective 2 The projected level of population and employment growth in the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly area will be at least matched by that of the Northern and Western and Southern Regional Assembly areas combined. National Policy Objective 3 Eastern and Midland Region: 470,000 additional people between 2022 and 2040 (c. 690,000 additional people over 2016-2040) i.e. a population of almost 3 million; Northern and Western Region: 150,000 additional people between 2022 and 2040 (c. 210,000 additional people over 2016-2040) i.e. a population of just over 1 million; Southern Region: 330,000 additional people over 2022 levels (c. 450,000 additional people over 2016- 2040) i.e. a population of just over 2 million. National Policy Objective 4 A target of half (50%) of future population and employment growth will be focused in the existing five cities and their suburbs83. National Policy Objective 5 The regional roles of Athlone in the Midlands, Sligo and Letterkenny in the North-West and the Letterkenny- Derry and Drogheda-Dundalk-Newry cross-border networks will be supported in the relevant Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy and in Regional Enterprise Plans. National Policy Objective 6 Accessibility from the north-west of Ireland and between centres of scale separate from Dublin will be significantly improved, focused on cities and larger regionally distributed centres and on key east-west and north-south routes. National Policy Objective 7 Deliver at least 40% of all new homes nationally, within the built-up footprint of existing settlements and ensure compact and sequential patterns of growth84. National Policy Objective 8 Deliver at least half (50%) of all new homes that are targeted in the five Cities and suburbs of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford, within their existing built-up footprints and ensure compact and sequential patterns of growth.
- National Planning Framework First Revision | Page 175 National Policy Objectives, 2025 National Policy Objective 9 Deliver at least 30% of all new homes that are targeted in settlements other than the five Cities and their suburbs, within their existing built-up footprints and ensure compact and sequential patterns of growth. National Policy Objective 10 Deliver Transport Orientated Development (TOD) at scale at suitable locations, served by high capacity public transport and located within or adjacent to the built up footprint of the five cities or a metropolitan town and ensure compact and sequential patterns of growth. National Policy Objective 11 Planned growth at a settlement level shall be determined at development plan-making stage and addressed within the objectives of the plan. The consideration of individual development proposals on zoned and serviced development land subject of consenting processes under the Planning and Development Act shall have regard to a broader set of considerations beyond the targets including, in particular, the receiving capacity of the environment. National Policy Objective 12 Ensure the creation of attractive, liveable, well designed, high quality urban places that are home to diverse and integrated communities that enjoy a high quality of life and well-being. National Policy Objective 13 Develop cities and towns of sufficient scale and quality to compete internationally and to be drivers of national and regional growth, investment and prosperity. National Policy Objective 14 Regenerate and rejuvenate cities, towns and villages of all types and scale as environmental assets that can accommodate changing roles and functions, increased residential population and employment activity, enhanced levels of amenity and design and placemaking quality, in order to sustainably influence and support their surrounding area to ensure progress toward national achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. National Policy Objective 15 Apply a tailored approach to urban development, linked to the Rural and Urban Regeneration and Development Funds, with a particular focus on: Dublin; The four Cities of Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford; Strengthening Ireland’s overall urban structure, particularly in the Northern and Western and Midland Regions, to include the regional centres of Sligo and Letterkenny in the North-West, Athlone in the Midlands and cross-border networks focused on the Letterkenny-Derry North-West City Region and Drogheda-Dundalk-Newry on the Dublin-Belfast corridor; Encouraging population growth in strong employment and service centres of all sizes, supported by employment growth; Reversing the stagnation or decline of many smaller urban centres, by identifying and establishing new roles and functions and enhancement of local infrastructure and amenities; Addressing the legacy of rapid unplanned growth, by facilitating amenities and services catch-up, jobs and/or improved sustainable transport links to the cities, together with a slower rate of population growth in recently expanded commuter settlements of all sizes; In more self-contained settlements of all sizes, supporting a continuation of balanced population and employment growth.
- Page 176 | National Planning Framework First Revision National Policy Objectives, 2025 National Policy Objective 16 To ensure that the targeted pattern of population growth of Ireland’s cities to 2040 is in accordance with the targets set out in Table 4.1. Table 4.1 | Ireland 2040: Targeted Pattern of City Population Growth City Population 2022 2018 NPF Population Growth to 204085 Minimum Target Population 2040 % Range 2016-2040 % Range 2022-2040 People Dublin - City and Suburbs 1,263,000 20-25% 20-25% 296,000 1,560,000 Cork - City and Suburbs 223,000 50-60% 40% 96,000 320,000 Limerick - City and Suburbs 102,000 50-60% 40% 44,000 150,000 Galway - City and Suburbs 86,000 40% 36,000 122,000 Waterford - City and Suburbs 60,000 40% 28,000 88,000 National Policy Objective 17 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: Agreement (regional assembly, metropolitan area and/or local authority as appropriate); Balance with strategies for other urban and rural areas (regional assembly, metropolitan area and/or local authority as appropriate), which means that the totality of planned population growth has to be in line with the overall growth target; and A co-ordinated strategy that ensures alignment with the delivery of investment in infrastructure and the provision of employment, together with supporting amenities and services. National Policy Objective 18 Regional and Local Authorities to identify and quantify locations for strategic employment development in the cities identified in Table 4.1. National Policy Objective 19 Regional and Local Authorities to identify and quantify locations for strategic employment development, where suitable, in urban and rural areas generally. National Policy Objective 20 In meeting urban development requirements, there will be a presumption in favour of development that can encourage more people and generate more jobs and activity within existing cities, towns and villages, subject to development meeting appropriate planning standards and achieving targeted growth. 85 City population growth targets are at the minimum point of the range and are rounded to the nearest 1,000.
- National Planning Framework First Revision | Page 177 National Policy Objectives, 2025 National Policy Objective 21 The Government will support the LDA, in association with Local Authorities, to fulfill its statutory mandate to deliver a significant number of homes on State lands in major mixed tenure developments, with a particular focus on brownfield and infill urban sites in the five main cities and regional centres as a priority. National Policy Objective 22 In urban areas, planning and related standards, including in particular building height and car parking will be based on performance criteria that seek to achieve well-designed high quality outcomes in order to achieve targeted growth. National Policy Objective 23 Protect and promote the sense of place and culture and the quality, character and distinctiveness of the Irish rural landscape including island communities that make Ireland’s rural areas authentic and attractive as places to live, work and visit. Any successor policy documents relating to national policy for rural areas and the islands will ensure continued alignment and consistency with the National Policy Objectives of this Framework. National Policy Objective 24 Support the sustainable development of rural areas by encouraging growth and arresting decline in areas that have experienced low population growth or decline in recent decades and by managing the growth of areas that are under strong urban influence to avoid over-development, while sustaining vibrant rural communities. National Policy Objective 25 Target the reversal of rural decline in the core of small towns and villages through sustainable targeted measures that address vacant premises and deliver sustainable reuse and regeneration outcomes86. National Policy Objective 26 Continue to support the proportionate growth of and appropriately designed development in rural towns that will contribute to their regeneration and renewal, including interventions in the public realm, the provision of amenities, the acquisition of sites and the provision of services. National Policy Objective 27 Continue to support programmes for ‘new homes in small towns and villages’ with local authorities, public infrastructure agencies such as Uisce Éireann and local communities to provide serviced sites with appropriate infrastructure to attract people to build their own homes and live in small towns and villages. National Policy Objective 28 Ensure, in providing for the development of rural housing, that a distinction is made between areas under urban influence, i.e. within the commuter catchment of cities and large towns and centres of employment, and elsewhere: In rural areas under urban influence, facilitate the provision of single housing in the countryside based on the core consideration of demonstrable economic or social need to live in a rural area and siting and design criteria for rural housing in statutory guidelines and plans, having regard to the viability of smaller towns and rural settlements; In rural areas elsewhere, facilitate the provision of single housing in the countryside based on siting and design criteria for rural housing in statutory guidelines and plans, having regard to the viability of smaller towns and rural settlements. 86 Refer to Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements Guidelines for Planning Authorities
- Page 178 | National Planning Framework First Revision National Policy Objectives, 2025 National Policy Objective 29 Project the need for single housing in the countryside through the local authority’s overall Housing Need Demand Assessment (HNDA) tool and county development plan core strategy processes. National Policy Objective 30 Facilitate the development of the rural economy, in a manner consistent with the national climate objective, through supporting a sustainable and economically efficient agricultural and food sector, together with forestry, fishing and aquaculture, energy and extractive industries, the bio-economy and diversification into alternative on-farm and off-farm activities, while at the same time noting the importance of maintaining and protecting biodiversity and the natural landscape and built heritage which are vital to rural tourism. National Policy Objective 31 Support and facilitate delivery of the National Broadband Plan as a means of developing further opportunities for enterprise, employment, education, innovation and skills development for those who live and work in rural areas. National Policy Objective 32 Enhance the competitiveness of rural areas by supporting innovation in rural economic development and enterprise through the diversification of the rural economy into new sectors and services, including ICT-based industries and those addressing climate change and sustainability. National Policy Objective 33 Support the agri-food industry in promoting Ireland’s continued food security in a manner that ensures economic, environmental, and social sustainability while ensuring progress in achieving targets in the National Climate Action Plan 2024 and the River Basin Management Plan. National Policy Objective 34 Continue to facilitate tourism development and in particular the Strategy for the Future Development of National and Regional Greenways, and a Blueways and Peatways Strategy, which prioritises: A coordinated approach to the sustainable management of outdoor recreation sites; Projects on the basis of their environmental sustainability, achieving maximum impact and connectivity at national and regional level while ensuring their development is compliant with the National Biodiversity Action Plan, the national climate change objective and requirements for environmental assessments. National Policy Objective 35 The Department of Rural and Community Development, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, and other relevant Departments and Agencies will continue to invest in rural Ireland, including through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, and will work together to establish a mechanism to co-ordinate structures for funding rural development to align with other national strategies. National Policy Objective 36 Support the objectives of public health policy including the Healthy Ireland Framework and the National Physical Activity Plan, though integrating such policies, where appropriate and at the applicable scale, with planning policy. National Policy Objective 37 Ensure the integration of safe and convenient alternatives to the car into the design of our communities, by prioritising walking and cycling accessibility to both existing and proposed developments, and integrating physical activity facilities for all ages.
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