We ‘will be glad to see the back of’ SHD planning system

CRITICISMS were levied against the Strategic Housing Development (SHD) system at Monday’s monthly meeting of South Dublin County Council, with one councillor claiming that many local politicians ‘will be glad to see the back of it’.

The SHD system allows for planning applications for large-scale residential developments of over 100 units to be lodged directly to An Bord Pleanála, bypassing local councils.

However, the scheme will expire on February 25 this year, when planning applications for developments of that nature will revert back to having to be submitted to councils.

The Commencement Order for the fast-track legislation was signed by Minister for Housing, Eoghan Murphy, in 2017.

At the time, he said the aim of the new legislation would be “to facilitate the provision of increased housing supply through greater streamlining efficiencies in the planning system” and it would allow large-scale developments to be “built more quickly”.

According to figures released by South Dublin County Council on Monday, concerning permitted SHDs in South Dublin County, work has yet to begin on seven SHDs which received planning permission last year.

Former Gallahers site at the junction of Greenhills Road and Airton Road remains idle

In 2019, seven SHDs were granted planning permission, three of which are currently under construction, while of the three SHDs that were given the go-ahead in 2018, two are currently under construction.

Overall, 7,535 residential units have been granted permission in South Dublin County through the SHD system.

A total of 636 units have so far been completed, 557 are currently under construction, while work has not yet commenced on the other 6,342 permitted units – some of which date back to 2018.

During the lifespan of the SHD scheme many criticisms of the system have been voiced by local councillors and residents.

Concerns include the number of build-to-rent developments, a lack of amenities, and the fact that the developments don’t have to adhere to the council’s local area and county development plans.

Speaking at Monday’s council meeting, Solidarity councillor Kieran Mahon said the SHD system had failed to provide housing in the midst of the housing crisis.

­Work has started on the Bailey’s site on Second Avenue in Cookstown Industrial Estate

“SHDs have been used, more or less, to increase the value of properties so they can be flipped on the market, rather than to actually provide housing,” Cllr Mahon said.

“One in ten of all applications have actually resulted in housing being provided through the Strategic Housing Development system, so, I think, in terms of the provision of houses, it hasn’t been a successful way to approach it.

“I think most of us are glad to see the back of it.”

Last November, the Government announced that the SHD system would cease on February 25, 2022, and decision-making on large-scale residential developments would revert back to local authorities.

The SHD process will be replaced by a new system for Large Scale Residential Developments (LRDs) which will retain some aspects of the SHD system, such as mandatory pre-application consultations, the quality of the applications submitted and decision timelines.

The restoration of planning oversight to councils under the new system for large developments was welcomed by South Dublin County Council chief executive Danny McLoughlin at the council meeting on Monday evening.

“It’s a welcome reversion in relation to local authorities being involved in these planning applications,” he said.

“When all of the outstanding SHDs wash through this transition period we’ll give a full report to the council in relation to an evaluation of what’s permitted, the nature and typology of apartments [and] houses, what’s started and what’s yet to start.

“And maybe [we’ll] take a view on that, because it will inform our perspective in relation to housing supply for the immediate two, three, four years – and that’s important, that we keep on top of that and not be blinded by statistics that might not materialise.”

Last year, two SHDs in South Dublin County were granted permission, while a further four SHD applications are currently under consideration by An Bord Pleanála.