An aerial view of Newlands Farm from Belgard Road at Kingswoo
Council reviewing Newlands Farm re-zoning for housing
A number of sites across South Dublin are being reviewed for residential re-zoning, including a controversial site at Newlands Cross.
The council have said that they are “reviewing a range of potential locations” to rezone across the county as residential, after the Government recently issued revised housing supply targets for local authorities through the ‘National Planning Framework (NPF) Implementation.
Under the current South Dublin County Development Plan 2022-2028, the yearly housing development targets until 2034 are set around 2,600 dwellings per annum.
However, the new baseline annual housing growth requirement under the NPF is now 3,217 new dwellings per annum up to 2034 and 2,414 from 2035-2040, which “is anticipated to require a variation of the County Development Plan”.
As such, SDCC have said they are reviewing both the adequacy of existing zoned lands and reviewing lands that were “considered for zoning as part of the preparation of the current County Development Plan”.
This includes the Newlands Farm site at Gateway and Newlands Cross, which is owned by developer Hibernia REIT and subject to a proposed development of up to 3,500 homes.
Hibernia REIT lodged a submission with the council during the consultation process for the 2022-28 county development plan, seeking to rezone the 144-acre greenfield site from agricultural to residential use.
In their submission lodged in October 2021, the developer warned the Draft Development Plan seriously underestimated “the amount of land that should be zoned for residential development.”
Their plans for the site included proposals for 3,500 residential units, a new multi-purpose and multi-code sports hub comprising a pavilion and all-weather floodlit pitches to be used by local sporting groups, and the restoration of Whitehall House, known locally as Katharine Tynan House.
An artist impression of the proposed plans
The plans received support at the time from some councillors and local sports clubs, Kingswood FC and St Kevin’s Killian’s GAA Club, who had reached a “memorandum of understanding” with Hibernia for the use of sports facilities in the development.
However groups such as the Kingswood Heights Residents’ Association and other local councillors raised concerns including the loss of “a green lung” between Tallaght and Clondalkin and the density of the development.
In a statement to The Echo, the council said SDCC officials have facilitated requests for meetings “with a number of landowners and developers, including Hibernia REIT” as part of the current zoning reviews.
“Any zoning decisions as a result of the 2025 Guidelines will be subject to public consultation followed by a proposed variation to the County Development Plan which, as a reserved function, will be determined by our elected members,” they said.
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