RZLT Remains a problem for Farmers actively using their land for Agriculture cautions Senator Boyhan

Time is closing in on farmers with land that may fall under the scope of Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT) (31 March 2025)

Farmers need to check out the 2025 updated zoning maps in their county.

RZLT maps were updated in January and that lands that are zoned residential and serviced are liable for the tax at 3% of market value.

Senator Victor Boyhan a member of Seanad Eireann Agricultural Panel told the Farming Independent that farmers actively working their lands should never have been included in this tax.

“Expecting farmers to pay 3% of the value of their land in an annual tax that bears no relation to the income earning potential from their land is total madness and cannot be justified in any circumstances”.

 “I am calling on the IFA bring greater clarity to its opposition to the tax as it relates to active farm use and to mobile effective oppositions to any tax of productive agricultural land.”

Senator Boyhan confirmed to the Farming Independent that his position remains, “ active farmland should be excluded from this unfair and punitive tax measure”.

“During the General Election may politicians and indeed aspiring politicians went to ground on the issue, but the problem has not gone away you know!”

Senator Boyhan reiterated his believe that “active land use for sustainable food production” should be exempt from the tax and called for a “robust appeals process so that farmers and landowners can challenge or amend final maps yet to be fully agreed or exempted, if justified”.

“I am hopeful that the Revenue will hold off on any RZLT charges while a farmer is in the process of appealing their inclusion for RZLT”.

Senator Boyhan also confirm that he had requested each of the 31 Local Authorities across the country to confirm what Agricultural lands held in their ownership and expected RZLT liabilities they would be subjected to, the RZLT on local authorities is also a source of concern, given that success governments have encouraged them to assemble land banks for future planning needs.

END.

 

Grants to help turn vacant traditional houses into new homes…

 
The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grants scheme will provide access to expert assistance for building owners considering availing of the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant, which already provides funding for the refurbishment of vacant and derelict homes in both rural and urban areas.

The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant provides a grant of up to €50,000 to renovate a vacant property, or up to €70,000 to renovate a derelict property.

Senator Victor Boyhan has welcomed the grants scheme.

“The Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant enables people to bring vacant or derelict buildings back into use, while the Conservation Advice Grant Scheme ensures this is achieved using appropriate skills and techniques. These grants will further assist in preserving the character of our towns, villages, the restoration of these buildings as family homes will help to build and sustain our communities now and into the future.”

Information on the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant can be found on the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage website: Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant.

This is the second year of the Conservation Advice Grant scheme, which supports owners who are availing of or considering the Vacant Property Refurbishment Grant to bring vacant or derelict traditional houses back into use.

Part of the Historic Structures Fund, this scheme will cover up to 67% of the costs (subject to a maximum grant of €5,000) of having a conservation expert with appropriate expertise visit a traditional building, conduct a survey, and compile tailored conservation advice. This includes a report outlining the condition of the building and identifying repairs and improvements that would restore it to use while enhancing its character, energy efficiency, integrity, and amenity.

By partially offsetting the cost of engaging expert advice at an early stage, the scheme also helps owners to avoid the risk of damage to their properties, obtain the services of appropriately skilled tradespeople, and ensure value for money in the completion of their projects.

For further queries, please contact

Buildings that qualify:

Stream 1 is open to owners of vacant traditional houses in villages, towns and cities where the building is a Protected Structure and/or an historic structure within an Architectural Conservation Area.

Residential houses and buildings previously used for commercial purposes also qualify for the scheme where the intended use is as a single dwelling or a single dwelling over a shop. This grant scheme has been devised to support the Town Centre First and Housing for All policy programmes.

Stream 2 is open to owners of Vacant Traditional Farmhouses where the building is a Protected Structure and/or an historic farmhouse located within an Architectural Conservation Area and/or a vernacular farmhouse which has no statutory protection.

Properties must be vacant for two years or more at the time of application.

Applications must be made by the deadline of 2 May 2025. The application form and guidance documents are available to view and download on the department’s website.   

Ends

 

Community Heritage Grants Scheme

The closing date for appliactions for Our Community Heritage grant scheme is Friday, 14th March 2025. Don't miss your chance to apply. The scheme support community/voluntary groups nationwide with heritage projects- built, natural, and cultural. The maximuk amount availabel per organisation is €25,000.

Read more

 

Ministers Browne and Cummins publish Implementation Plan for the Planning & Development Act 2024

Tuesday, 4 March 2025 

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD today updated Cabinet on his Department’s comprehensive Implementation Plan for the Planning & Development Act 2024. 

One of the largest pieces of legislation in the history of the State, the Planning & Development Act 2024 will enhance clarity, improve consistency and ultimately increase confidence in our planning system.

The commencement of the Act is a key priority for Government and it will be commenced on a phased basis to facilitate the transition from the arrangements under the current Act to those under the new Act. 

Minister for Housing, Local Government & Heritage, James Browne TD, welcoming the Implementation Plan said:

“The Planning and Development Act 2024 will have a significant impact on our planning system and will create an improved environment to deliver more homes. To date the Government has contributed significant resources and funding to significantly boost housing output. However, the Government can only directly deliver so much. If we are to accelerate homebuilding to the levels we need, we need to create the right conditions for the private sector to ramp up delivery. We need to build houses but also create the foundations for others to build homes as well. The significant changes in this planning legislation will contribute to creating the right environment to provide the additional homes we need."

Speaking today, Minister of State with responsibility for planning, John Cummins TD added:

"This legislation is a vital part of this Government's approach to boosting construction and delivering more homes. We are taking a phased approach to its implementation due to the size and complexity of the changes involved.

“Great care will be taken to ensure a smooth transition to the new legislation with the least amount of disruption possible to the planning system. These are very significant reforms and it is vital that we ensure this implementation plan delivers for all stakeholders.

“We are committed to a dynamic approach to introducing this legislation. We will actually bring forward the commencement of some elements ahead of schedule where we can – ensuring that the sector and those who engage with our planning system are prepared for their introduction." 

The first phase of commencements will see the establishment of An Coimisiún Pleanála to replace An Bord Pleanála.  An Coimisiún Pleanála will have a revised organisational structure overseen by a new Governing Board and a Chief Executive Officer. This will be achieved by early Quarter 2.

The majority of the remaining Parts will be commenced over the rest of 2025, with a particular focus on the provisions relating to the National Planning Framework and development plans as well as those relating to planning consents including the introduction of mandatory timelines for An Coimisiún Pleanála.

The commencement of the Act is a complex task and it is important throughout this reform process that the planning system operates with minimal disruption while continuing to demonstrate improved performance, given the ongoing need to facilitate the delivery of strategic infrastructure and housing.  Therefore, the existing provisions in the current Act will remain in place until the relevant provisions in the new Act of 2024 are commenced.

As set out in the Implementation Plan, there will be ongoing engagement with key stakeholders to ensure their awareness and readiness throughout the implementation process.  It will be necessary to ensure that there is appropriate training and guidance for all stakeholders, as the provisions are introduced.   

A copy of the Implementation Plan can be accessed at: https://www.gov.ie/planning          

See Editor’s Note for further detail. 

ENDS
 
Notes to Editor

The Planning and Development Act 2024

The Planning & Development Act 2024 is the culmination of a comprehensive legal review of the Planning and Development Act 2000, led by the Office of the Attorney General, which was initiated by Government in July 2021. Since then, every aspect of the planning legislation has been reviewed with a view to improving clarity, consistency and confidence throughout the Irish planning system.

The Planning & Development Act 2024 introduces a number of key reforms:

• The introduction of statutory timelines for all consenting processes, to give confidence and certainty to applicants;
• A significant reorganisation of An Bord Pleanála, to be known as An Coimisiún Pleanála;
• Greater mandatory alignment of all tiers of planning, improving consistency;
• Improvements to the planning judicial review processes;
• Clearer, more consistent policies and guidance;
• Longer term, more strategic, ten year plans for Local Authorities;
• More agile local implementation, through the introduction of Urban and Priority Area Plans, including new bespoke plans for Gaeltacht and Island communities;
• Creation of Urban Development Zones, which will facilitate a more plan-led approach to development, increasing certainty at the master-planning stage;
• Provisions to deter abuse of planning processes through spurious planning submissions and appeals, as well as a ban on requesting payment for not opposing development and;
• Ability to suspend the duration of a permission while subject to judicial review proceedings, so as not to lose any time available for completing the development.

The Planning & Development Act 2024 is available here: https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/act/2023/34/eng/enacted/a3424.pdf

Commencement of Act

Certain provisions of the Act of 2024 have already been commenced:

• Part 25 came into effect on enactment providing miscellaneous amendments to the Residential Tenancies Acts
• Sections 1 – 5 & Part 26 (containing miscellaneous provisions relating to the NTMA and the LDA) were commenced on 2nd December 2024. Sections 1 – 5 do not have any operative effect of themselves but are solely interpretive in nature or otherwise operate to support the rest of the Act. 

As detailed in the Implementation Plan, it is envisaged that the commencement of the remainder of the Act of 2024 will be carried out across 4 phases – Blocks A, B, C & D:

Block A – establishment of An Coimisiún Pleanála (Part 17), provisions relating the taking of Judicial Reviews (Part 9, Chapter 1 and 3) and Events and Funfairs (Part 16) as well as related provisions;

Block B – provisions relating to the National Planning Framework, National Planning Statements, Regional Spatial Economic Strategies (RSES) and Development plans (Part 3) and the OPR (Part 18) as well as associated provisions;

Block C – Development Consents (Part 4) and all associated Parts;

Block D – any remaining Parts.

The order in which the provisions of the Act of 2024 will be commenced is based largely on the structure of the Act itself and from discussions and engagement with the planning sector. As is often the case, the commencement of new legislation can be dependent on a number of internal and external factors such as the development of secondary legislation (some of which will require Oireachtas approval) and ensuring the planning sector is prepared for the upcoming changes, including the provision of training and development of guidance material. For these reasons, the commencement schedule is at all times subject to change.

Breaking News : €713m to be spent on regional and local roads this year - confirmed by government.

The Government has announced an 8% increase in spending amounting to €713 million for regional and local roads in 2025.

The money will be used for restoration and maintenance of the road network, as well as improving road infrastructure and investing in safety projects.

The money will be distributed to local authorities who are responsible for maintaining the regional and local road network.

€70m will be invested in specific infrastructure projects including bridges and bypasses.

Of the monies provided, the highest amount will go to Co Cork at €94.6m, €82 million of which goes to Cork County Council and the remainder to Cork City Council.

Galway local authorities will share €47m, Donegal will get €42.4m and Tipperary will be granted €42.03m.

A total of €33m is being allocated to Co Kerry, an increase of €1.56m on last year.

The lowest allocations go to the Dublin region, totalling just over €300,000 between for local authorities.

Click here for Full list of county breakdowns

Check out this story on RTÉ 

ENDS

NOAC ‘Good Practice in Local Government’ seminar showcases outstanding work of local authorities 

Today the 13 February 2025 in Kilkenny, the National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) held its seventh annual ‘Good Practice in Local Government’ seminar.  

Six local authorities presented projects from their areas as leading examples of good practice.

For ten years, NOAC has been the independent body providing oversight of the local government sector.  The organisation hosted this seminar in collaboration with the Local Government Management Agency and the County and City Management Association.

 The six projects featured include:

Clare County Council	The use of technology to deliver effective tree management, cost savings and ensure public safety.
Cork County Council	Reinvigorating arts involvement and participation for Cruinniú na nÓg by enabling children, the end user, to programme it.
Donegal County Council	Applying new business practices and processes to replace manual processes, improve efficiencies and reduce costs under the Local Enterprise Office (LEO).
Kildare County Council	Development of an application to ensure accurate and timely payment of commercial rates.
Meath County Council	Livestreaming local elections to give real-time information, to be the primary source of information and to show citizens how local elections work.
Dublin City Council	Creating social housing by converting vacant office buildings into apartments, using an ‘Adaptive Reuse’ process/approach.

The seminar was attended by Chief Executives and senior officials from the local authorities within Ireland, officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, representatives of elected members and the regional assemblies, as well as a variety of other stakeholders in the local government sector.

A recording of all presentations will be uploaded to the NOAC website, www.noac.ie

For further information regarding the individual projects or the event, please contact  

ENDS

 

Rural Housing is Important to the Irish Parliamentary Assemble Environmental & Social Committee

Rural housing in Ireland, England, Scotland, and Wales is the focus of the at the British - Irish Parliamentary Assembly Environmental & Social Committee within recent months.

Senator Victor Boyhan who is a member of BIPA and is attending the series of meetings on Rural Housing told Agriland that; “Central and local government in each of the BIPA jurisdictions face the similar challenges and indeed frustrations around the practicalities of rural housing policy on the ground. It’s very clear from are discussions and engagement with a range of stakeholders that many rural areas are in decline because of the lack of clarity on sustainable rural housing policy and the inconsistencies of approach by different planning authorities and indeed amongst individual planners in the same planning authority, that’s concerning and highlights the need for clarity on rural planning objectives and policy for rural housing appropriate to the needs of existing rural communities and island communities.”

Senator Boyhan said he wants to hear about the challenges and difficulties encountered to expand rural housing projects and one-off housing particularly in Scotland and Wales and solutions to overcome objections and opposition by planning authorities and indeed government policies within the BIPA jurisdictions.                                                                                            

Senator Boyhan outlined to members of the BIPA committee the Irish government’s commitment to supporting and investing in the regeneration in Irelands rural towns and villages and to support new infrastructure measures to encourage the development of new homes, in principle consolidating existing communities. The issue of rural one-off housing has not yet been addressed in terms of revised planning guidelines, and that a big frustration for those seeking to explore the possibility of building a one-off rural house on land that they own.

Senator Boyhan said Ireland Rural Housing Guidelines for Planning Authorities 2005 where no longer fit for purpose and used the opportunity to again call on the government to honour its promise to publish national rural housing planning guidelines for people seeking to build a home in their native rural area and on their own land.

“As a member of the Oireachtas Committees dealing with housing, planning, local government and agriculture I know the current restrictive policies for rural planning are a serious impediment to those seeing to return to their rural communities and establish agri-enterprises.”

Boyhan acknowledged that one-off housing has been a thorny issue for the coalition partners in government, with the Green Party understood to be strongly opposed to building one-off rural homes due the impact it might have on the environment, instead favouring houses being built on serviced sites close to village and town centres.

Senator Boyhan told the BIPA committee that “Securing planning permission to build a house in rural Ireland has been very challenging. I fully accept that any new rural housing guidelines must balance environmental and social concerns in housing and planning policy.

“The economic and social benefits for families being able to build a home and raise a family close to an aging population in rural areas needs to be acknowledged and factored into rural housing policy.”

Following engagement between the European Commission and the Department of Housing and Local Governemnt regarding the European Court of Justice ruling in the "Flemish Decree" case, a working group was established to review and, where necessary, recommend changes to the 2005 Planning Guidelines on Sustainable Rural Housing.

Boyhan has called on the government to take account of the relevant European Court of Justice judgment. on the government and without further delay finalise its new planning guidelines and issue them to planning authorities.

"While rural housing cannot be permitted in every area for every person, those who have a genuine need must be given the option to live and work on the family farm, or on family lands in their native rural district.”

New rural housing guidelines should include the right to build, subject to appropriate assessment, your own home in rural areas if the applicants have a clear economic or social need to do so.

Boyhan concluded that he was committed to pursuing the Flemish Decree judgement with the Irish government and renewed his call for New Rural Planning Guidelines to be published.

ENDS

New County by County Map shows over 60,000 new homes commenced in 2024 – Data published 16 January 2025

Minister and Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine - Confirmed

Senator Victor Boyhan said he looked forward to working with new Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon and the three Ministers of State at the Department of Agriculture.

The full roles and responsibilities of Ministers of were confirmed at yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.

They are:

Noel Grealish TD, Super Junior Minister with responsibility for Food Promotion, New Markets, Research & Development.

Michael Healy-Rae TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture.

Timmy Dooley TD, Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with special responsibility for Fisheries and at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications with special responsibility for the Marine.

 

Last call for applications for €7.4 million Community Monuments Fund 

Friday 24 January 2025 

The Community Monuments Fund aims to conserve, maintain, protect and promote local monuments and historic sites.

The 2025 Community Monuments Fund  will support repairs and capital works and the development of conservation management plans.

Community groups and /or private applicants should submit to their local authority not later than 31 January 2025.        

The local authority will submit their selection to DHLGH by 14 February 2025. 

Details of the 140 projects awarded funding in 2024. 

 

Ministers highlight outstanding planning cases by An Bord Pleanála   

An Bord Pleanála (the Board) is a critical organisation in the planning hierarchy within Ireland, standing at the apex of our planning system, it plays a crucial role as a final arbiter of many planning applications. 

Following matters arising during the course of 2022, the Board has contended with a large backlog of case files to be determined throughout 2023 and into 2024. Through the provision of additional resourcing by the Department in the form of increased staffing, an increased number of Board members and an increase in funding allocation, significant progress has been made in reducing this backlog.

The total number of cases disposed of in 2024 to the end of November was 3,464, an increase of 13% on cases disposed in the same period for 2023. By the end of November 2024, the number of cases on hand had reduced from

The Board has ensured that it addresses Large Scale Residential Development (LRD), which replaced the former Strategic Housing Development (SHD) process in 2022, within the relevant statutory timelines. To the end of November 2024, 74 LRD cases were disposed of, with the statutory timeline of 16 weeks being adhered to in all cases.  

This reduction in cases on hand, matched with the increased throughput of cases being determined, will see the Board reaching more ‘normal’ levels of operation in Q1 2025. This is a welcome development in advance of the implementation of the Planning and Development Act 2024 in early 2025. 

Resourcing the Board

 Since October 2021, the Department has agreed to 117 new staffing posts in An Bord Pleanála. As of 30 November 2024, 290 people are working in ABP (including Board Members). It is intended that when all the approved posts are filled, over 300 people will be employed by the Board. This will represent an increase in the overall agreed staffing at the Board to in excess of 50% since 2021.

A recruitment campaign for full-term Board members, managed by the Public Appointments Service (PAS), commenced in October 2023. Ten candidates have now been appointed as full-term Board members by the Minister, with a full complement of 15 full term Board members to be in place from January 2025.
 

Planning and Development Act 2024

 The newly enacted Planning and Development Act 2024 provides for the proposed new structure for the Board. An Bord Pleanála is to be renamed An Coimisiún Pleanála to reflect the new organisational structure of the Commission. 

The new Act contains a number of provisions reflecting this new organisational structure and will clearly outline the separate roles of:-

• Planning Commissioners - who will be responsible for all decision-making regarding appeals and applications made and they will be overseen by a newly created position of Chief Planning Commissioner.
• The Governing Board - which will be responsible for the performance and oversight of the organisation.
• Executive and Inspectorate - will undertake and support organisational and operational functions will be overseen by a Chief Executive Officer.

 A campaign to appoint members of the new Governing Board, including a Chairperson, is currently underway and is being facilitated by the Public Appointments Service. It is expected that the new members will be in place within the first quarter of 2025 enabling the commencement of relevant sections of the Act. 

 

Urban Regeneration and Development Fund 2024 Progress Report

Monday 30 December 2024

The following is a progress report on the €137 million of Urban Regeneration and Development Funding provided to towns and cities across Ireland over the last year. 

Launched in 2018 as part of Project Ireland 2024, the €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund (URDF) is continuing to support the National Planning Framework and the delivery of more compact and sustainable development across Ireland’s cities and large towns 

The URDF is providing up to 75% funding for applicant-led projects that will support more compact growth, enabling a greater proportion of residential and mixed-use development to be delivered within the existing built-up footprints of our cities and large towns, while also ensuring that more parts of our urban areas can become attractive and vibrant places in which people choose to live and work, as well as to invest and to visit.

To date, there have been three rounds of funding provided under the URDF with more than €1.9 billion allocated so far. In 2024, over €137 million was provided from the Fund for successful projects. 

As per Budget 2025, funding under the URDF will increase to €186 million for next year (2025) to provide continued support to urban regeneration and development projects.  This will include the 132 successful proposals, comprising over 420 individual projects that were approved for URDF support under the first 2 Calls for proposals. 

With URDF supported projects active in every local authority area in the Country, 2024 saw the launch of a new online project tracker which provides detailed information, imagery and updates on the status of all the successful proposals. With the help of this interactive tool, users can easily navigate through the different URDF projects and gain valuable information about their status, milestones and impact. It provides a user-friendly interface that allows stakeholders, residents and interested individuals to stay informed about the ongoing developments in their area. This interactive webpage can be accessed through the URDF’s main website or directly via the following link: tinyurl.com/urdf-tracker

The third round of support under the URDF (Call 3) is aimed at supporting key objectives of Housing for All and Town Centre First by specifically addressing long term vacancy and dereliction across URDF eligible cities and towns. 

This dedicated €150 million revolving fund allows local authorities to acquire long-term vacant or derelict properties (residential and/or commercial), and to carry out any associated works needed to de-risk or improve the site to make it more attractive for re-use or sale. Acquired properties are then offered by local authorities for private sale at market value to those who in return will commit to bringing the property back into residential use. Proceeds from the sale of these properties will be used to replenish the fund, allowing a local authority to establish a rolling programme to tackle long-term vacancy and dereliction without a requirement for borrowing and the associated financial risk. 

Call 3 continued to progress in 2024, with nearly 50% (621) of the 1,297 properties identified by local authorities for inclusion in the programme actively coming out of vacancy/dereliction.

A further update will be issued 1 February 2025.

ENDS

 

New Planning and Development Bill

 

VIEW HERE

Independent Senator Victor Boyhan Opposed this Bill Saying, 

I know that councillors across the county have ideas for how local development plans could be better, do more and make liveable and better places. All of those ideas are ultimately overwhelmed by the fact that regardless of what goes into the local development plan, this Bill facilitates the complete railroading of that.

Our sitting county councillors have that local context and awareness of local need and local understanding, which they have gained through years of experience. Most of them live in their own communities. Some 99% of councillors live in the community they represent, which is unique among local government in Europe. That is the case and it is worth pointing out.

Most councillors are not planners, architects or engineers. This why they need independent expert advice, guidance and assistance when required. They want to work in unison with people and they want to work with their executives. That is really important. I was a councillor myself, as were most people here. One of the key ways to get things done is to collaboratively work with the chief executive and the management team of the council. 

Many rural Deputies, Senators and county councillors are saying we need to facilitate families in the farming and rural communities to build homes. Invariably, they have their own sites or potential sites. Having a site lowers the cost, which is great. We want to strengthen rural communities and to have vibrant towns and villages all over this country. 

 

Summary of Planning and Development Bill

 

VIEW HERE