Kildare legislates for 40,000 new homes in the county

KILDARE has taken a significant step in trying to alleviate the housing deficiency in the county by passing a measure that could see up to 40,000 extra homes build here within the next 15 years.

This week (1 May) Kildare County Council has formally adopted Variation No. 3 of the Kildare County Development Plan (CDP) 2023–2029 which could provide for the delivery of almost half the new housing units planned for the nation by 2040.  

Following the publication of the Section 28 Guidelines on National Planning Framework implementation, local authorities were tasked with planning for the delivery of up to 83,000 new homes annually across Ireland to 2040 through the preparation and publication of variations to CDPs to increase housing supply and ensure continuity in pipeline.

The ministerial guidelines call for a significant increase in housing delivery nationwide, and Kildare County Council embraced this challenge, having already made strong progress already under its CDP.

Kildare is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and the adoption of this variation reflects the council’s continued focus on responding to the scale and urgency of housing need across the county, while ensuring that new residential development is supported by the appropriate social infrastructure.

“The variation introduces enhanced policy clarity, and strengthens objectives to facilitate the delivery of housing across a variety of tenures.

This includes social, affordable and private housing, in a manner that is compact, sustainable and aligned with national and regional planning policy.

The council say this reinforces the principle that housing delivery must ensure that new and existing residents have access to high quality services and amenities.  

“This is a clear statement of intent by the elected members to prioritise housing delivery in County Kildare while recognising that homes cannot be delivered in isolation,” said cathaoirleach of Kildare County Council Cllr Carmel Kelly. 

“This strengthens our ability to ensure that social infrastructure is planned and delivered alongside new housing, creating sustainable and liveable communities.”