Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2025: Committee Stage
Seanad Éireann — 2025-07-15
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Sharon Keogan (IND), Industrial and Commercial Panel

Amendments Nos. 11 and 12 go to the heart of what I believe is missing from the Bill, real empowerment for local authorities. Amendment No. 11 proposes a new section 42A, which would allow local authorities to purchase unzoned land for residential and other strategic uses. This is a practical, common-sense measure. Right now, councils can only buy land that is already zoned, but that land is often more expensive, more contested and more difficult to develop. Why not let councils act earlier? Let them identify land that is suitable, buy it at a fair price, zone it appropriately and get on with the job of delivering homes. This is how we used to do things in this country. When we were poorer, we built more because we trusted local authorities to lead.
Amendment No. 12 complements this by restoring discretion to elected councillors in zoning decisions. It inserts a new subparagraph in section 46, making it clear that councillors, not just officials, should have the final say on whether land is zoned for housing or other uses. Zoning is a reserved function, or at least it used to be, but more and more we see national policy overriding local decisions. That is not right. If a council wants to zone land for housing, enterprise or community use, it should be able to do so without having to refer to diktats in Dublin. These amendments are about trust - trusting local knowledge, local democracy, and the people closest to the ground to make the right decisions for their communities. If we are serious about solving the housing crisis, we need to cut through the red tape and empower those who can act. That starts with local authorities.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-07-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:03+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-07-15