Cork public called on to propose sites that can be rezoned for housing

By Peter McCarthy, Corkman

Cork County Council is inviting submissions identifying lands that are suitable for being zoned for residential use with the goal of accelerating housing delivery over the next 10 years.

Members of the public, landowners and homebuilders are encouraged to put forward suggestions for greenfield, brownfield, infill and regeneration sites that could be zoned for housing.

The request is in response to new ministerial guidelines aimed at updating development plans to accelerate housing delivery.

The guidelines provide for an increased annual housing growth requirement for Cork County Council and a mechanism to support the zoning of additional lands in areas where it can be justified.

The proposed sites need to meet a number of criteria, including that they are serviced or are due to be serviced within the next ten years and are located in areas with market demand and good public transport services.

“It is critically important that Cork County Council ensures that we have sufficient land zoned across the county to deliver on the housing and population targets set out in the Revised National Planning Framework and the recently published Section 28 Guidelines,” the Mayor of County Cork, Cllr Mary Linehan Foley, said.

Cork County Council Chief Executive Moira Murrell said that she “strongly encourages landowners, homebuilders, and the public to get involved in the process by making submissions that identify lands with the potential to accelerate housing delivery over the next decade, helping to make Cork County an even more attractive place to live, work, and do business.”

Submissions close at midnight on Monday, October 20, and can be made either online or by writing to the council. For more information, visit corkcoco.ie.