Kerry County Council must update its planning policies following the passing of Planning and Development Act 2024.
The local authority had been in the process of developing local area plans (LAPs) for Kerry’s five municipal districts (MDs).
However, the new act ends the use of local area plans, meaning local planning policy must now be incorporated in the county development plan (CDP).
The Kenmare Local Area Plan, adopted in October 2024, will stay in place until it expires, but it cannot be renewed or replaced.
Councillor Jackie Healy Rae told members at the recent full council meeting that updated planning policies are sorely needed in the MDs.
The new plans for Castleisland – Corca Dhuibhne, Killarney, Listowel and Tralee weren’t completed by October 2024 and so, will not now be completed.
Instead, the county development plan (CDP) will have to be modified to update planning policies in these MDs.
Before any changes are made, they must go through various evaluations, including a strategic environmental assessment (SEA), a habitats directive assessment (HDA) and a strategic flood risk assessment (SFRA).
Afterwards, the proposed changes will be published for public consultation.
The council will then review the feedback and vote on whether or not to adopt the changes.
If approved, they become part of the official CDP, guiding future planning decisions.
The Planning and Development Act 2024 is intended to address local needs while ensuring alignment with county and national planning laws, and avoiding the need to replace entire plans.
Council management says it now has a clear plan to update the CDP based on the new law.
The process began in January with consultations on rural housing policies in the MDs.
The Tralee planning update began on the 31st January.
The Killarney revision will begin in March 2025; the process for Castleisland – Corca Dhuibhne will start in October 2025 and the Listowel planning process will begin in December 2025.
Council management says it is confident it can meet these deadlines.
