5. Tiered Approach to the Zoning of Land for Residential Development

5. Tiered Approach to the  Zoning of Land for Residential Development 

The draft Kerry County Development Plan [KCDP], through the RSES, supports National Policy Objectives in relation to housing development as follows:

• Right Location: by prioritising the provision of new houses at locations that can support sustainable development and at an appropriate scale of provision relative to location.
• Building Resilience in Housing: supporting the provision of lifetime adaptable houses that can accommodate the changing needs of a household over time.
• Sustainable Residential Densities: increasing residential density in settlements, through a range of measures including reductions in vacancy, re-use of existing buildings, infill development schemes, area or site-based regeneration and increased building heights in appropriate location.

In the Draft KCDP, Kerry County Council has zoned land for residential purposes in:

• Tralee
• Killarney
• Listowel

The amount of land zoned within each Town area reflects the targeted population growth within the area over the lifetime of the Kerry County Development Plan 2022-2028 as per the Core Strategy. It is imperative that zoning is carried out in a logical and informed manner which will provide for the long-term sustainable development of the settlements and of the County as a whole.  The following criteria is used in deciding the extent and location of proposed zonings in the County:

• Need and Policy Context
• Sequential Approach
• Capacity of Water, Drainage and Roads Infrastructure
• Supporting Infrastructure and Facilities
• Physical Suitability
• Environmental and Heritage Policy, including Conservation of Habitats & other sensitive areas

The National Planning Framework sets out a two-tier approach to land zoning. It sets out a methodology for a tiered approach to land zoning which differentiates between residentially zoned lands that are immediately available for development and lands that require further investment before development can take place. This approach gives effect to National Policy Objective 72 in the NPF. An assessment of lands as Tier 1/Tier 2, following the approach set out in the NPF, forms part of the settlement plans with this plan and future plans (Town Plans/Local Area Plans).

In the future suite of Municipal District/ Electoral Area Local Area Plans all residential zoning will take a tiered approach and lands will be subject to a Settlement Capacity Audit.