WCC Debunk Greystones Land Dezoning Claim

From a caterpillar to a butterfly…

atest press release from Wicklow County Council, issued on Tuesday, Sept 16th 2025…

Response to article published by The Sunday Business Post on September 14th.

Wicklow County Council recently prepared and published the Draft Greystones-Delgany and Kilcoole Local Planning Framework (LPF) which will, when adopted, replace the current Greystones-Delgany and Kilcoole Local Area Plan 2013. This LPF is being adopted as a variation to the existing Wicklow County Development Plan (proposed variation No. 4) and when adopted will form part of the County Development Plan.

In the preparation of any plan / framework, a wide range of national, regional and local policies, guidelines, studies, standards etc must be taken into account. In particular, since that last LAP was adopted in 2013, the following new national and local policies, guidelines, studies, standards etc have had to be considered in the drafting of the new framework (not an exhaustive list):

⦿ The National Planning Framework including the NPF Implementation Roadmap (2018), and the Revised NPF (2025)

⦿ The National Development Plan 2021 (updated 2025)

⦿ The Regional Economic & Spatial Strategy (2018)

⦿ The Greater Dublin Area Transport Strategy (2022)

⦿ A wide range of Ministerial guidelines including (but not limited to):

– National Planning Framework Implementation – Housing Growth Requirements (2025)

– Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2024)

– Development Plans – Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2022)

– Urban Development and Building Height Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2020)

– Design Manual for Urban Roads and Streets (DMURS) (2020)

⦿ Updated Flood Risk maps from the Office of Public Works (OPW)

⦿ The Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028

⦿ The Greystones Public Realm Plan 2020

⦿ The Delgany Public Realm Enhancement Plan 2023

⦿ ‘Preliminary biodiversity appraisal of the Three Trouts Stream’, ALC Nature

⦿ ‘Biodiversity Action Plan for Greystones’, Faith Wilson

⦿ A Strategic Environmental Assessment of the LPF area

⦿ A Habitats Directive (Appropriate) Assessment of the LPF area

⦿ A Strategic Flood Risk Assessment of the LPF area

⦿ A Social Infrastructure Assessment of the LPF area

⦿ A Green Infrastructure Audit of the LPF area

Taking into account all of the above, the new Draft LPF does provide for some zoning changes compared to the previous LAP.

With respect to the ‘new planning guidelines’ referenced in the Business Post article, the guidelines set out increased housing delivery targets compared to previous guidelines and require that Local Authorities now begin the process of assessing existing development plans to ensure that they provide for sufficient zoned land to meet the new targets.

Wicklow County Council is currently undertaking this assessment but at this time it is not evident that there is any shortage in zoned land in the County to meet the new increased targets. In particular in Greystones-Delgany, the amount of land proposed to be zoned for new residential development in the Draft LPF exceeds the current housing targets as set out in the Wicklow County Development Plan and would appear to be more than adequate to accommodate an increase in the target for that settlement, should such an increase be deemed appropriate for Greystones-Delgany from the overall new targets for Wicklow.

In light of the contents of the article published, we would supplement the above with the following commentary:

Wicklow County Council would like to confirm that there are no proposals in the Draft Local Planning Framework for Greystones-Delgany and Kilcoole to ‘dezone’ 3,000 houses worth of development land.

It is not clear where this suggestion or the number has come from, but its appears to based only on inputs / submissions from various developers / landowners, does not consider the actual contents of the draft LPF nor does it take into account the Wicklow Chief Executive’s response to these submissions as set out in the published Chief Executive’s Report here.

With regard to some of the specifics:

Amount of zoned housing land vis-a-vis targets
The housing unit growth target for Greystones-Delgany in the Wicklow County Development Plan is 1,953 units during the period 2016-2031. From 2016 to end 2024 according to the CSO 2,143 new dwellings were completed in Greystones-Delgany. Therefore the current target has been overachieved by c. 10% already. There are also a number of developments under construction which will deliver c. 250 additional units in the short term.

The Draft LPF provides for 38ha of lands zoned for new residential development in Greystones-Delgany, in two phases. Therefore there is no shortage of zoned lands in order to meet current targets for Greystones-Delgany as well as possible future targets.

Cairn Homes: There is no proposal to ‘dezone’ lands owned by Cairn Homes in Greystones. It is understood that Cairn Homes owns 3 parcels of undeveloped lands in Greystones, as detailed in their submission to Wicklow County Council.

The concern raised in the article appears to relate to the proposal to maintain the residential zoning on their largest parcel (c. 19.2ha at Coolagad, north Greystones) and to identify these lands as ‘Priority 2’ residential lands. The need to identified ‘Priority 1’ and ‘Priority 2’ residential lands in the Draft LPF stems from compliance with Ministerial Guidance in particular the 2022 Development Plan Guidelines, which state:

‘Should it be the case that there is a surplus of well-located zoned and fully serviced land to meet population and housing supply targets already zoned for development in any local authority area when reviewing a development plan, it is recommended best practice that a phased approach be taken to prioritise the preferred sequence of development of such sites.

Cois Droichid, Charlesland

However, phasing should be applied where there is a sound planning rationale for doing so, based on factors such as site location, the availability or proximity of, or capacity to provide, off-site services, facilities or infrastructure’. (Development Plan Guidelines 2022, p47)

As detailed in the Draft LPF and various supporting documents, the ‘Priority 2’ designation generally applies to lands (such as the Coolagad lands) that are peripheral i.e. lands that should be last to be considered when one is following the ‘sequential approach’ to development and sound planning principles, and that are not currently fully serviced but may become serviced within the lifetime of the plan. This approach is required in accordance with said Ministerial Guidelines. We would draw you attention in particular to Sections 6.2.3 of the Development Plan Guidelines here.

Bellevue Hill

The objectives of the Draft LPF clearly set out that these Priority 2 are zoned and will be considered for development during the lifeline of the LPF subject to certain conditions. In particular, in anticipation of the possibility of increased housing targets for the area, the draft LPF makes provision that permission can be considered subject to demonstration of compliance with existing and possible future housing targets.

Lowick: The Draft LPF provided for some zoning changes to the Lowick lands (the former ‘Convent lands’ in Delgany) to reflect the permitted development on the lands; these lands were previously zoned for residential use but planning permission granted provided for some areas to be devoted to community uses and some to public park / open space uses. The changes amounted to c. 1.1ha.

There was no provision in the Draft LPF to ‘dezone’ lands for 99 houses; the lands proposed for a change in zoning were the lands permitted for community and open space uses. Further to the submission made by Lowick during the public consultation phase, the Chief Executive has in fact proposed amendments to the Draft LPF for further changes to ensure the zoning more accurately matches the permitted development, and indeed allows for a wider range of uses. Subject to the members approving the Chief Executive’s recommendation, there would appear to be no overall impact on the Lowick lands.

Beakonshaw: A submission was received from Beakonshaw requesting the zoning (for the first time) of currently unzoned greenfield agricultural lands for residential use to the east of Kilcoole. Not supporting this this request does not reduce the amount of zoned housing lands in Greystones-Delgany and Kilcoole, as these lands are not currently zoned.

The original Sunday Business Post article of September 14th is here, and you can check out Taoiseach Micheál Martin’s response that feature here.