1723. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there will be a review of the Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlement Guidelines given the difficulty in the rollout of sustainable transport options in some areas and the resulting conflict with the urban proximity criteria. [57076/26]

The Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements Guidelines for Planning Authorities, “the Settlement Guidelines” were issued in January 2024, as Ministerial Guidelines. Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, requires planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála (now An Coimisiún Pleanála) to have regard to Ministerial guidelines in the performance of their functions. Where the guidelines contain specific planning policy requirements (SPPRs), planning authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála are required to comply with these requirements in the performance of their functions.

The Settlement Guidelines expand on higher-level policies of the National Planning Framework, setting policy and guidance in relation to the growth priorities for settlements, residential density, urban design and placemaking and development standards for housing. The Settlement Guidelines are one of a number of Section 28 Ministerial Guidelines that are concerned with sustainable forms of residential development and compact growth. Other Guidelines include the Planning Design Standards for Apartments, Guidelines for Planning Authorities, 2025 which set out national policy and standards for apartment development and the Urban Development and Building Height Guidelines for Planning Authorities 2018 which set out national policy considerations in relation to building height and provide a framework for a performance-based approach to the consideration of increased building height.

The Settlement Guidelines states that to achieve compact growth, it will also be necessary to increase the scale of new buildings in all parts of our cities and towns, with highest densities at the most central and accessible urban locations, particularly in city centres and close to public transport nodes and interchanges. The Settlement Guidelines contain density ranges that respond to settlement size (e.g. cities, towns and villages), general locality in each settlement (i.e. central areas, urban neighbourhoods and suburban areas/areas of urban extension) and access to public transport services. With regard to public transport services this includes existing and planned services. The Guidelines state that ‘planned services’ include transport infrastructure and services identified in a Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy for the five cities and where a public authority (e.g. National Transport Authority, Transport Infrastructure Ireland or Irish Rail) has published the preferred route option and stop locations for the planned public transport.

The Settlement Guidelines state that all density ranges should be further refined with regard to centrality and accessibly to services, public transport (existing and planned) and site-specific considerations regarding character, amenity and the natural environment. This approach provides planning authorities with a degree of flexibility so they can operate a plan-led approach and take the circumstances of a plan area or an individual site into account as part of the decision making processes prescribed under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), or relevant parts of the Planning and Development Act 2024, once commenced.

Following the commencement of Chapter 3 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 in October 2025, my Department will be reviewing existing guidelines with the intention of replacing them with National Planning Statements. The timing of the issuing of new National Planning Statements will be based on Government priorities. Until existing guidelines issued under section 28 of the 2000 Act are replaced or revoked, they remain in effect.