New Dublin city draft plan puts a halt to rezoning of land for housing

NO NEW lands will be rezoned for housing in Dublin city until after 2017, under the new draft city development plan which has been released for public consultation.

Assistant city manager Michael Stubbs said there was already sufficient residentially zoned land to meet demand and that some land which had been zoned residential under the last development plan would be rezoned for other uses.

Undeveloped land which had been zoned solely for housing is now being considered for a newly created zoning “Z10A”. This zoning would be similar to the existing Z10 zoning which allows for mixed use development of residential, commercial and retail in urban centres, but would have lower densities.

The new zoning would be suitable for suburban land previously zoned only for housing, Mr Stubbs said.

“Introducing this new outer suburban zoning will strengthen the development of communities by allowing a variety of uses instead of mono use.”

Live-work units and units for small start-up companies would be possible under the zoning, Mr Stubbs said.

While the main strategy of the last development plan was to expand the inner city towards Heuston Station and the docklands, the new plan focuses on consolidating and improving the city and inner-suburban centres such as Ballymun, Finglas, Rathmines and Phibsborough.

Efforts are to be made to improve the appearance of the city quays, eliminate derelict buildings in the city centre and make the city more pedestrian friendly.

However, the redevelopment or improvement aspirations for many areas will require the return of investment from private developers. The plan acknowledges that schemes will be advanced as “priorities and resources permit”.

The draft plan, which proposes standards for building heights and environmental principles, as well as zonings, is open for public consultation until March 12th. It can be viewed and submissions can be made at www.dublincitydevelopmentplan.ie. Video submissions can be made at the council’s Wood Quay Venue.