Minister Browne signs order for local authorities to identify suitable sites for Urban Development Zones (UDZs)
- Published on: 6 June 2025
- Last updated on: 6 June 2025
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne, has signed an order that will enable local authorities to identify suitable sites for Urban Development Zones (UDZs), and for the Land Development Agency (LDA) and Regional Assemblies to bring appropriate sites to the attention of local authorities and the Minister.
Urban Development Zones (UDZs) in the Planning and Development Act 2024 are designated areas within existing settlements for large-scale, plan-led residential and urban development. These zones will provide a framework for their future development to ensure a coordinated approach to urban growth.
Government designation of UDZs will be underpinned by significant infrastructural investment by the State to ensure that new development is enabled.
This Commencement Order (for Chapters 1 and 2 of Part 22 of the Planning and Development Act 2024) will come into operation from next Monday (9 June 2025).
Minister Browne emphasised that he was keen to make rapid progress on the roll out of the Planning and Development Act 2024, saying:
“Today I am announcing a further reform to our planning system – my third in two weeks – in order to boost housing and to unlock the potential to build more. The overall aim of the Urban Development Zone process is to provide for an updated and more flexible approach to the delivery of large-scale developments and necessary infrastructure than that currently set out by the existing Strategic Development Zone process. Urban Development Zones will take over from Strategic Development Zones as the vehicle for delivery of new large-scale integrated development.
“The change I am introducing today will allow us now to drive site identification and create a critical strategic overview of suitable sites to support development and infrastructure at the scale required to significantly escalate the delivery of new homes for our communities.
“By mandating collaboration between local authorities, the Land Development Agency and my department, we can unlock development sites which promise to be of significant economic, social or environmental benefit to the State and the common good.”
Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, John Cummins, added:
“Urban Development Zones are another new element of planning legislation introduced by this government. They are a very progressive measure which will allow for a plan-led process that includes a key decision making role for planning authorities. They also provide up-front certainty for communities and the development sector, building on the best elements of the former Strategic Develooment Zones.
“The designation of lands as an Urban Development Zones by the government can only be considered once the planning authority have completed the process of identifying suitable sites as candidate Urban Development Zones in their development plan, therefore it is imperative that this work begins as soon as possible. Given the variations to county development plans that will commence shortly to allow for updated housing growth requirement figures, now is an opportune time to capitalise on the opportunities presented by Urban Development Zones.“