Planning and Development Act 2024

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Chapter 6

Designation of Urban Development Zones

Designation of sites for urban development zones

621. (1) Where, in the opinion of the Government, the development of a candidate UDZ would be of significant economic, social or environmental benefit to the State and in the common good, the Government may by order, where so proposed by the Minister and having regard to the scale, nature and location of development included in the planning framework, designate all or part of the candidate UDZ as an urban development zone.

(2) The Minister shall, before proposing the designation of a candidate UDZ to the Government under subsection (1), consider each of the following:

(a) any submissions made to the planning authority and any report prepared by a chief executive under section 607 ;

(b) any submissions or observations received from any regional assembly;

(c) any submissions or observations received from the Office of the Planning Regulator;

(d) any submissions or observations received from the National Transport Authority;

(e) the national interest;

(f) the likely effects of the designation of the site as an urban development zone on any matter of economic, social or environmental importance to the State, including climate action;

(g) the scale, nature and location of development included in the planning framework, the extent to which development included in the planning framework could contribute significantly towards the objectives for the time being of the Government or of any Minister of the Government and any objectives set out in a regional spatial and economic strategy for the time being in force;

(h) whether the designation of the site as an urban development zone will make development included in the planning framework more likely;

(i) whether the designation of the site as an urban development zone is likely to have significant effects on the environment (within the meaning of Annex II of the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive);

(j) if the area or part of the area is a European site or an area designated as a natural heritage area under section 18 of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 ;

(k) whether the designation of the site as an urban development zone would be likely to have significant effects on a European site or an area designated as a natural heritage area under section 18 of the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000 .

(3) Before proposing the designation of a site or sites to the Government under subsection (1), the Minister may consult with any of the following bodies in relation to such designation:

(a) any relevant planning authority;

(b) any relevant development agency;

(c) any relevant regional assembly;

(d) any other body that the Minister considers relevant;

(e) the Office of the Planning Regulator;

(f) any other Minister of the Government that the Minister considers appropriate having regard to the functions of that other Minister.

(4) An order under subsection (1) shall state the reasons why the Government is of the opinion that the development of the candidate UDZ would be of significant economic, social or environmental benefit to the State and in the common good.

(5) The Minister shall send a copy of any order made under subsection (1) to any relevant planning authority, development agency and regional assembly and to the National Transport Authority, the Office of the Planning Regulator and to the Commission.

(6) In this section, the Land Development Agency shall not be a relevant development agency unless each candidate UDZ referred to in subsection (1) is wholly or partly on relevant public land within the meaning of section 5 of the Land Development Agency Act 2021 or land owned by the Agency.