De-zoning residential land makes no sense in the middle of a housing crisis. But it is happening. It is an issue I covered recently in Co Meath, where the requirements of the Regional Economic and Spatial Strategy of the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly has seen the de-zoning of sites for 10,000 homes.
ublication last month of the Co Wicklow draft development plan 2021-2027, sees the same issue arising, and the de-zoning of significant amounts of residential land.
The under-funding of Irish Water is one of the biggest impediments to solving our housing crisis. Yet, that problem is now being exacerbated by the de-zoning of already serviced land – as local authorities are obliged to comply with the requirements of a new hierarchy of national and regional planning objectives.
Many of the aspirations of the National Planning Framework, which seeks to focus on “compact growth” in existing conurbations are admirable. But those objectives will slow the delivery of housing.
Critics say that the target of providing 30pc of Co Wicklow’s housing growth within the built-up footprints of existing settlements is highly unlikely to be delivered, due to the nature of infill and brownfield sites and complex ownerships. One could also question the assertion that “mono-type building typologies” (two-storey own-door houses) “will not be looked upon favourably,” which implies apartments, duplexes and terraced houses must now be prescribed for all towns in Co Wicklow.
The application of higher densities in existing towns makes sense, from the point of view of maximising efficient expenditure on infrastructure, but this is leading to the de-zoning of land elsewhere, some of which is already serviced and close to towns. Some councillors are saying that population growth has been shifted to towns where infrastructural deficits will prevent them hitting housing targets, and away from locations with existing services.
Councillors in Wicklow are expressing concern that the lack of housing for local purchasers is being intensified by the displacement of buyers from Dublin, which is making housing unaffordable in towns like Bray and Greystones. One analysis is that, under the new plan, population growth in Wicklow to 2031 will only provide housing for 18,000 people, rather than the 31,000 target.
The same issue has also arisen in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, where the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) has expressed concerns with the population and housing supply targets in that draft development plan, saying that they will undermine national and regional policy objectives for “compact growth”.
We need stronger long-term planning, but I question the methodology of tightly linking residential land zonings to forecast population growth in specific areas.
Some zoned land will not be developed in the lifetime of several development plans. Some landowners don’t want to develop their lands, some will never sell, infrastructure is inevitably late and some developers will become insolvent. Thus, it makes sense to zone more land than is apparently needed – to increase the rate of supply, and to reduce land prices and house prices.
There is a “catching-up” process between local area plans and national guidelines. The end result will be better planning – but government policy on employees’ rights to work from home does not align with a restriction to high-density, compact development.
De-zonings, certainly of serviced land, should be reconsidered.
