187. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if guidelines and measures are in place to ensure rezoning for residential priority is given to plots of land that are shovel ready; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48203/26]

The Revised National Planning Framework (NPF) was finalised and approved by Government and the Oireachtas in April 2025. The Revised NPF identifies the need to plan for approximately 50,000 additional households per annum to 2040 and provides the basis for the review and updating of Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSESs) and local authority development plans to reflect such critical matters such as updated housing figures and projected jobs growth, including through the zoning of land for residential, employment and other purposes.

National Policy Objective (NPO) 105 of the Revised NPF requires planning authorities and infrastructure delivery agencies to focus on the timely delivery of enabling infrastructure to priority zoned lands in order to deliver planned growth and development.

The Development Plans Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2022), as issued by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, set out that the distribution of population and housing targets to the various settlements in the settlement hierarchy, including rural areas, requires an evidence-based assessment. A comprehensive capacity audit of land and sites with potential for development at a settlement level is a prerequisite to inform the drafting of the settlement strategy.

The Guidelines indicate that planning authorities should analyse the capacity of each settlement to accommodate new development in terms of suitable lands and infrastructure within the plan period through a ‘Settlement Capacity Audit’ (SCA) to distinguish between lands that are ‘Serviced’ (Tier 1) and those that are ‘Serviceable’ (Tier 2). This is to ensure that an informed decision can be made as to whether or not to zone land in particular settlements for residential development and to inform the plans core strategy.

To ensure that local authority development plans reflect the requirements of the Revised NPF in respect of housing as soon as possible, I issued the NPF Implementation: Housing Growth Requirements Guidelines under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 in July 2025. These Guidelines set out the housing demand scenario to 2040 for each local authority by translating the NPF housing requirements into average annual figures and require planning authorities to commence the process of varying their development plan to meet the new housing growth requirements.

In addition to the baseline housing growth requirement, planning authorities have been requested to address the scope for additional provision of up to 50% in excess of the baseline figure, in light of the urgent need to increase housing delivery, and to optimise the ability to deliver on the housing requirements of the NPF.

Planning authorities have assessed their respective development plans and have undertaken a review of the adequacy of existing zoned lands in their functional area to cater for the new Housing Growth Requirements and the potential for ‘additional provision’. To date, 30 local authorities have commenced a variation process, with 17 of those either partially or fully completed.

Separately, as part of the process to prepare a development plan, planning authorities are required to notify prescribed bodies and consult with utility providers to enable such providers to contribute from an early stage and ensure that their inputs inform the plan-making process. Such engagement also has the secondary function of allowing infrastructure providers to take account of the planned quantum and distribution of proposed development in specified areas over a medium-term horizon in the development of their capital programmes.