Under orders from government, Fingal plans to rezone even more land for housing

To meet demands from the central government for more land to build more homes on, Fingal plans to rezone more land residential – and look to its land reserves in Dunsink and Lissenhall, according to a report by the council’s chief executive, AnnMarie Farrelly.

To meet targets in the council’s current county development plan, for the years 2023 to 2029, there’s more than enough zoned land in Fingal, says the report, presented to councillors at their monthly meeting on Monday. 

But, back in April, the government increased targets, under its revised National Planning Framework (NPF). 

The council’s target in the development plan was for the construction of 2,738 homes a year, the report says. Now, the new annual target is set at 3,153, she said, and if they add an extra 50 percent just in case, that rises to 4,730 a year, it says.

In accordance with these updated guidelines, the council will also need to revise its current development plan to take on board these new figures, Róisín Burke, Fingal’s senior planner told councillors at the meeting.

To make this possible, the report recommends that the council rezone more land “to ensure a robust supply of residential zoned land to 2029 and beyond”.

Those would need to be areas that are serviced, and in proximity to good social infrastructure, Burke said.

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The report says the council is on the hunt now for lands to rezone residential. So far, it’s ruled out lands now zoned as “high amenity”, “at this point”.

“High Amenity areas are the most sensitive parts of the County and include important habitats, landscapes, and heritage features,” the report says. 

“The High Amenity zoning is intended to protect the most scenic and environmentally valuable lands in the County and to reinforce their character, distinctiveness and sense of place.,” it says.

They’re also not planning to rezone lands with “economic zonings” such as “General Employment” or “High Technology”, “at this time”. “It is recognised that demand for employment land remains strong in Fingal in the context of continued economic growth,” the report says.

In addition to rezoning some – as yet unidentified – lands not currently zoned residential, the report also recommends that the council “provide for the release of lands currently zoned for residential development but designated as Long-Term Strategic Reserve”.

Including at Dunsink and Lissenhall. 

The council is continuing to prepare a local area plan for Dunsink, said Burke. “We believe the early release of lands there can help accommodate some of this shortfall.”

Located just north of Blanchardstown and Ashtown, the council owns more than 1,000 acres at Dunsink. Council officials said, back in September 2024, that they foresee around 7,000 homes being developed on those lands over a 20-year period.

Councillors have been pushing for a faster timeline.

The local area plan for Dunsink – setting out the shape of how the council envisions the lands being developed – is expected to be published next March, Burke said. 

Lissenhall, north of Swords, consists of 224 hectares of mixed-use land, but it isn’t suitable for development at present, the report says. 

“These lands require improvements to surrounding transport infrastructure including the progression of the Metrolink,” it says.

That plan, in turn, is held up at the moment by a judicial review by a group of residents of Ranelagh, who live near the southern end of the proposed Metrolink route.

Is it only the plans for the Metrolink that Fingal is waiting on? Fine Gael Councillor Aoibhinn Tormey asked at the meeting. “If it’s not, I think we need to try and be moving to make those lands ready as well.”

Lissenhall remains part of the council’s long-term strategic reserve due to the fact that the Metrolink is the main piece of infrastructure required there, Burke said. 

“It would be our intention to prepare a statutory plan, or have that available coming onstream in 2029 when the next development plan comes into date,” she said.

It will also need a local area plan too, Burke said.”That’s the type of thing, we’ll be looking at dealing with getting together and being ready for the adoption of the next development plan.”

At the meeting, councillors agreed to officially “note” the report.