What the Planning and Development Act 2024 means for residential construction

Paul Hogan, Assistant Secretary in the Department of Housing, discusses the Planning and Development Act 2024 and its implications for residential construction.

Hogan describes the Planning and Development Act 2024 as a “pivotal moment of reform”. However, he warns that the introduction of the legislation itself will “necessary but not sufficient” to meet the State’s housing demand, instead advocating for a holistic approach spanning policy, legislation, finance, infrastructure, and performance.

“Our housing targets are not just numerical goals; they must deliver communities, services, and sustainable places across every part of the country,” he explains.

Analysis of the planning pipeline reveals significant challenges. Although the system granted approximately 40,000 housing units annually between 2018 and 2024, roughly half have been completed as of mid-2025.

Hogan contextualises that planning is “demand-led,” adding: “The planning system can only process what comes in, but people withdrawing or projects failing means we are working with surplus permissions that never materialise.”

The Assistant Secretary highlights apartments as the keystone of current delivery: “Permission data shows housing output closely mirrors trends in apartment authorisations. Investment in higher density housing is critical,” he stresses, saying reaching 80,000 homes a year will not happen without it.

‘From complexity to clarity’

Speaking on the preceding planning legislation, the Planning and Development Act 2000, Hogan states that it inadvertently created a planning system which could be incoherent and was burdened by EU directives and court-led amendments. The result of this, he says, has been “escalating judicial reviews, slower decisions, and investor uncertainty”.

Hogan says that the new Act establishes national planning approved by government, replacing fragmented ministerial guidance.

“This enables a consistent, hierarchical planning framework, underpinned by 10-year development plans and clear alignment between national and local priorities.”

On reforms to the judicial review process, he outlines that there will be fixed-fee structures and strict cost ceilings, reducing the incentive to use legal challenges as a delay tactic. This will be complemented by the elimination of superfluous procedural stages such as initial leave hearings and limitations on new pleadings.

A central component of the legislation is the renaming of An Bord Pleanála to An Coimisiún Pleanála (see page 19), with the planning body to be equipped with dedicated governance, executive independence, and statutory targets. Hogan states that the organisation will also be equipped with resources and oversight mechanisms to clear existing backlogs, meet statutory timelines, and provide certainty to applicants.

“These measures are not about shutting out public participation; they are about restoring balance. We need transparency, but we need transparency delivered within a system that delivers timely outcomes.”

Aligning targets, plans, and delivery

Another key feature of the 2024 reforms is the introduction of statutory action on local development plans. Under the new National Planning Framework, Hogan states that the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage will compel county councils to revise their housing targets with variations under the aegis of Section 13 of the Planning and Development Act. These amendments will lift annual targets from 50,000 to 80,000 and extend planning horizons to 13 years.

Hogan explains: “By increasing housing requirement figures now, and backing it with policy-led targets, we lay the foundations for more purposeful investment and planning decisions across all local authorities.” He confirms that that this process is to begin immediately, even before the new Act is fully enacted as it is a priority for the Government.

Urban development zones (UDZs), streamlining of local area plans, and a default 10-year-long cycle for development plans are further mechanisms intended to ensure that zoning, land-use policy, and infrastructure delivery are coordinated in time and scale.

Beyond legislative overhaul, Hogan stresses the necessity of a mindset shift within the planning space. “A new performance culture embracing agility, innovation, and data-driven oversight is essential,” he says.

He points to a newly-launched ministerial action plan and the establishment of the Housing Activation Office aimed at addressing blockages, enhancing capacity, and raising local authority performance.

Hogan underlines that a review of processes ranging from consent timelines to decision support systems is will be the key to increasing productivity in the sector. “We need to figure out what planning functions are essential, and what could be delivered better and faster,” he states.

An ‘outcomes-focused’ planning system

Concluding, Hogan argues that solving the State’s housing crisis depends on a clear planning framework that “fuses national direction with local execution”.

This, he says, requires “streamlined, reliable planning regime that enables timely decisions while protecting public engagement”. “This requires system-wide capability and coordination which is enabled by infrastructure, funding, and performance mechanisms.

“This is not just numbers on a page but communities, schools, workplaces, and life opportunities. We must switch from a reaction-driven planning system to one that is delivery-oriented, outcome- focused, and nationally joined up. That is the only route to sustainable, affordable housing at scale.”