Proposed Variation 1b

Closed30 Aug, 2016, 8:00am - 30 Sep, 2016, 6:00pm

Proposed Variation 1b To incorporate the requirements of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, to apply Part V to developments of 10+ houses with 10% social housing requirement. 

Further to the enactment of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015, Kilkenny County Council is now proposing to make a Variation to the Housing Strategy of the Kilkenny County Development Plan 2014 – 2020, to include the requirement to apply Part V to developments of 10 or more houses with 10% social housing requirement, in line with the Act as set out above.

 

The existing policy of the Kilkenny County Development Plan 2014-2020 is set out below, together with the proposed insertions in italics and deletions in strikethrough.

 

5.2  Housing strategy

Part V of the Planning and Development Act 2000 as amended, requires that housing strategies be drawn up by planning authorities and integrated into their development plans.  

 

The housing strategy shall:

 

  1. Include an estimate of, and provision for, the existing need and the likely future need for housing in the area covered by the development plan. The Planning Authority shall ensure that sufficient and suitable land is zoned in its development plan for residential use (or for a mixture of residential and other uses), to meet the requirements of the housing strategy and to ensure that a scarcity of such land does not occur at any time during the period of the development plan.
  2. Take into account the need to ensure that housing is available for persons who have different levels of income, and in particular for those in need of social or affordable housing in the area.  A housing strategy shall therefore provide that as a general policy a specified percentage, not being more than 20% 10% of the land zoned in the development plan for residential use, or for a mixture of residential and other uses, shall be reserved for social and/or affordable housing.
  3. Ensure that a mixture of house types and sizes is developed to reasonably match the requirements of the different categories of households, as may be determined by the Planning Authority, including the special requirements of elderly persons and persons with disabilities.
  4. Counteract undue segregation in housing between persons of different social backgrounds. The Planning Authority may indicate in respect of any residential area that there is no requirement for social/affordable housing in respect of that area, or that a lower percentage than that specified in the housing strategy may instead be required.

 

The needs of various groups, including the homeless, travellers and the elderly are addressed as part of the Housing Strategy. 

 

A Housing Strategy has been prepared for the period 2014 - 2020 for both Kilkenny Borough and County Councils.  This Strategy is incorporated into the Development Plan in Appendix B.

 

The principal features to emerge from the analysis presented in this housing strategy are as follows:

 

  • A total of 3,570 new households are required to meet the population targets set for County Kilkenny in the Regional Planning Guidelines for the period 2014 to 2020.

 

  • The existing local authority waiting list is c.2,852 2,794[1]

 

  • Over the period of the strategy 20% 10% of land zoned for residential or a mix of residential and other land uses will be reserved for social and affordable housing.

 

  • The availability of zoned land is not expected to act as a constraint over the course of the Development Plan 2014 – 2020

 

It is the view of the Planning Department that the requirements of Part V of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 in relation to any particular site should be incorporated into any development proposal at an early stage in the development process.  The Council will therefore require housing developers to whom the 20% 10% requirement will apply to discuss the likely terms of Part V agreements at pre-planning consultations in accordance with the requirements of the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015.  Both the Council and the developer would thus have a common understanding of the nature of the likely agreement before detailed designs are prepared for any planning application.

 

Conditions attached to planning permissions for residential development will require developers to enter into an agreement with the Council in relation to the provision of social and affordable housing in accordance with the housing strategy.

 

The Housing Strategy also identified that there will be a requirement for a greater mix of unit types due to an increase in the number of single persons requiring accommodation. 

 

The following preferred options are available to satisfy the requirements of the housing strategy:

 

  • The payment of a monetary contribution
  • The transfer of a portion of the site subject to the planning application,
  • The transfer of completed dwellings elsewhere,
  • The leasing of dwellings on site or elsewhere,
  • The transfer of fully or partially serviced sites on the site which will enable the Council to provide the appropriate number of units thereon,
  • The transfer of serviced sites at another location,
  • The transfer of the required number of completed dwellings on the site,
  • The transfer of land at another location,

 

An agreement may provide for a combination of the above. 

 

Objectives:

5B       To require 20% 10% of the land zoned for residential use, or for a mixture of residential and other uses, be made available for the provision of social housing.

 

[1] Housing Section, March 2013.