Draft maps for use in calculating new tax on residentially zoned land to be published soon

Draft maps which the Revenue will use to calculate a new tax on residentially zoned land are due to be published within weeks, the autumn conference of the Irish Planning Institute has been told.

The tax, to be levied annually and calculated at 3 per cent of the market value of rezoned land, will then be subject to consultation with elected councillors and the public through much of next year, with final maps to be drawn by the end of that year.

Landowners affected by the change may appeal the inclusion of their properties to An Bord Pleanála, with the payments to the Revenue falling due from February 1st, 2024.

Paul Hogan, chief planner at the Department of Housing, told the conference that the change was designed to encourage timely development of zoned land. It would, he said, be central to moving the planning system “from decision led or developer led” to “plan-led development”.

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Mr Hogan also said that a review of the planning system proposed moving from six-year local authority development plans to 10-year plans, with a small review at the mid-point and a more significant review every decade. He said such changes would introduce more certainty and a put “more strategic framework” in the planning process.

He warned that the move to plan-led development would require many more professional planners and said consideration was being given to “earn while you learn” apprenticeships. While planners would be still required to attend a college for four or five years, he said thought has been given to how best to engage in working as an undergraduate, and how staff would mentor beginners.

Modernisation

Minister for Housing Darragh O’Brien told the conference that a Planning Bill would be published in draft form before Christmas. He said it “will be the single biggest change and modernisation of planning legislation since the year 2000″ with a primary focus on “the delivery of housing”.

He told the planners he would welcome their input, and that of the institute, when the Bill is undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny.

Mr O’Brien also said he intends to appoint a number of temporary members to the board of An Bord Pleanála in coming weeks. He said he would change the appointment process and increase the number of board members to 50. He said he would be allocating more resources to help the board to carry out its work.

“If we’re honest with each other right now, it is not seen as efficient in relation to delivery of timelines a lot of additional work was created within the board, as a result of dealing directly with Strategic Housing Developments” he said.

Mary McMahon, president of the Irish Planning Institute, said planners wanted to see the detail of the forthcoming Bill and that staffing was “a huge issue” for planning authorities. She said appropriate environmental assessments needed to be fully integrated into all aspects of planning applications and this was a complex process and heavily reliant on professional expertise.

She said some of the changes being talked about offered more certainty for planners, who were keen to see the full measures in detail.

“We are able and ready to respond,” she added.