5.7 Housing Delivery

5.7 Housing Delivery

The supply of quality, affordable housing plays a key role in underpinning economic growth and competitiveness of the Dublin metropolitan area.

The NPF and Rebuilding Ireland identifies a target of at least 25,000 annual new homes required nationally to satisfy housing needs to 2040 and an increased national output of 30,000 to 35,000 to 2027. This translates to an approximate housing target of at least 7,500 units per annum to be provided in the metropolitan area to 2040. The MASP identifies opportunities for some 113,000 residential units when fully built out to 2040, which meets the projected populations in the MASP to 2026 and 2031.

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES:

MASP Housing and Regeneration

RPO 5.4: Future development of strategic residential development areas within the Dublin Metropolitan area shall provide for higher densities and qualitative standards as set out in the ‘Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas’13, ‘Sustainable Urban Housing: Design Standards for New Apartments’ Guidelines and ‘Urban Development and Building Heights Guidelines for Planning Authorities’14.

The Strategy supports a sequential approach to development with a primary focus on the consolidation of sites within or contiguous to the existing built up and zoned area of Dublin City and suburbs, supported by selected metropolitan settlements that have the capacity to achieve higher residential densities in tandem with the provision of public transport, infrastructure and services.

RPO 5.5: Future residential development supporting the right housing and tenure mix within the Dublin Metropolitan Area shall follow a clear sequential approach, with a primary focus on the consolidation of Dublin and suburbs, and the development of Key Metropolitan Towns, as set out in the Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (MASP) and in line with the overall Settlement Strategy for the RSES. Identification of suitable residential development sites shall be supported by a quality site selection process that addresses environmental concerns.

Phased sequential development

Having regard to the long lead in time for planning, design and development, a prioritisation and indicative phasing has been applied to strategic development areas based on any identified infrastructure and/or site constraints and linked to the delivery of strategic public transport, key infrastructure and service provision. Phasing periods are 2026 (short term), 2031 (medium term) and 2040 (long term). This also aligns with census periods and the availability of census data will allow for more effective monitoring of housing delivery.

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It is therefore considered appropriate that the MASP is focused on the phased and sequential delivery of a steady stream of sites to meet demand including the identification of long term strategic future development areas. It should be noted that housing units delivered through the MASP site-based regeneration does not preclude additional capacity for increased residential densities being realised throughout the metropolitan area by means of ongoing infill, re-intensification and development of sites that may not have not been identified in the MASP.

13 Department of Housing Planning and Local Government, 2009

14 Department of Housing Planning and Local Government, 2018

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Dublin Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (MASP)

Table 5.1 are a statement of the population capacity of the

Core Strategy

It is important to note that the figures represented in Table 5.1 are a statement of the population capacity of the corridors – not targets, which is based on the identified capacity of opportunities along the corridors translated to an estimated population capacity. The phasing of short (2026), medium (2031) and long term (2040) is based on infrastructure delivery and the Guiding Principles of the MASP. It demonstrates the capacity of the corridors to meet and exceed the NPF population targets for Dublin City and the MASP which is a key outcome of the RSES for the Region.

The core strategies of the relevant local authorities should demonstrate consistency with the population targets expressed in the NPF and the Implementation Roadmap for the National Planning Framework July 2018. The NPF identifies a target population of 1.4 million people in Dublin City and Suburbs for 2031, an increase of some 220,000 people, and a target of 1.65m in the MASP, an increase of some 250,000 people.

The further breakdown of population projections to county level are in Appendix B and shall be used by local authorities in the formulation of the core strategies of their development plans. There is a further allowance of transition population targets in NPO 68 by way of up to 20% of the targeted growth in the city being transferred to other settlements in the MASP15. This shall apply only to the three Metropolitan Key Towns in the MASP namely Bray, Maynooth and Swords, and only if they can demonstrate compact growth on high capacity planned or existing public transport corridors.

Furthermore, it is recognised that there would be significant additional capacity to deliver increased residential densities on other sites through the ongoing provision of infill, reduction in vacancy and re-use of underutilised lands and vacant buildings within the metropolitan area.

The core strategies of development plans relevant to the MASP should have a focus on the delivery of sites in the MASP whilst retaining flexibility to respond to new and future opportunities for the delivery of housing in the metropolitan area, in line with the transitional population projections methodology in the NPF roadmap and a robust evidence-based analysis of demand, past delivery and potential. See also Chapter 4 People and Place for more information on the strategic development of Dublin and the Metropolitan Key Towns of Swords, Bray and Maynooth.

The determination of population targets for local authorities within the MASP in accordance with the NPF and this strategy, including the population targets for the City and the Metropolitan Key Towns, should be agreed in consultation with the MASP Implementation Group, within six months of publication of the RSES to inform the preparation of the core strategies of the relevant city and county development plans. Should it not be possible to reach agreement within the above timeframe, the matter will be referred to the Minister for further determination.

15 NPO 68 A Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan may enable up to 20% of the phased population growth targeted in the principal city and suburban area, to be accommodated in the wider metropolitan area i.e. outside the city and suburbs or contiguous zoned area, in addition to growth identified for the Metropolitan area. This will be subject to:

any relocated growth being in the form of compact development, such as infill or a sustainable urban extension;

any relocated growth being served by high capacity public transport and/or related to significant employment provision; and

National Policy Objective 9, as set out in Chapter 4.

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Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy