Following on from the conclusions of the Chief Executive Report on Development Plan Core Strategy Annual Monitoring & NPF Implementation: Housing Growth Requirements as circulated to Council issued in February, Waterford City & County Council is now inviting written expressions of interest from landowners & developers regarding lands that may be suitable for future residential development in the period to 2040 and which are proposed to be brought forward for development in that period. This non‑statutory consultation process is being undertaken in response to:
The National Planning Framework (NPF) – First Revision 2025.
The Section 28 Guidelines: NPF Implementation – Housing Growth Requirements (2025) (1,144 new homes in Waterford per annum to 2034).
The expressions of interest should support the planning authority when:
Preparing a potential variation to the development plan which will provide greater detail on the phasing and release of zoned land for residential development.
Appraising the infrastructural service constraints to residential development at various locations and how best to overcome such constraints in a timely manner.
Submission Guide:
The public consultation will run from April 10th to June 5th, 2026 (updated) and written submissions will only be accepted during this period.
To make a submission, please fill out the questionnaire found on right side panel of this portal page. It is important to note that all expressions of interest made to the planning authority should take due account of the policies and objectives of the Waterford City & County Development Plan 2022 – 2028 (as detailed on the application form) which support the proper planning and sustainable development of Waterford.
By post, addressed to: Expressions of Interest call, Planning Office, Menapia Building, The Mall, Waterford, X91 FXN4. (Please ensure “Expressions of Interest call” is clearly stated on the envelope).
Hard copies of the Development Plan are also available for inspection during opening hours at the Planning Office.
Further Information
It is intended that the consultation process will assist in the timely release of sequentially located and appropriately zoned land for residential development in order to streamline and phasing the delivery of essential enabling service infrastructure by the council, service providers, and the private sector. As stated in the March Plenary Report, ultimately while this process may result in the rezoning of land for residential use, given the quantum and spatial context of land zoned for R1 and SRR in the development plan, it is unlikely that this process will support significant new zoning of land for residential purposes beyond the spatial extent of current R1/SRR lands, as such land would potentially be outside built footprints of settlements and outside defined CSO settlement boundaries. The principal objective of the process is to support development of land which is sequentially located, development which is compact and infrastructure-led, and more importantly development which is consistent with the development plan outcomes and the policy objectives.
The process will be primarily used to finetune the phasing/tiering of land for residential development, the sequencing of infrastructure delivery and the potential rezoning of land from an existing land use to new residential land use.
The planning authority will prepare a report on the outcome of the non-statutory consultation process and publish a copy of that report on the consult.waterfordcouncil.ie portal and make it available to the Plenary Council. Any potential rezoning of land or other material changes to the development plan arising from the “expressions of interest call” will be implemented by way of a variation to the development plan under section 58 of the Planning and Development Act 2024, as amended, which is a reserved function of the Plenary Council.
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Submissions
2 submissions have raised observations relating to this consultation.
Call for expressions of interest for Potential Housing Development Lands
Expressions of Interest Call for residential development land
*Note: Submissions closing date has been extended, Closing date for submissions is now the 5th of June by 5pm.
Click here for Information Pack & Questionnaire (Must be filled out & uploaded with your Submission)
Purpose and background:
Following on from the conclusions of the Chief Executive Report on Development Plan Core Strategy Annual Monitoring & NPF Implementation: Housing Growth Requirements as circulated to Council issued in February, Waterford City & County Council is now inviting written expressions of interest from landowners & developers regarding lands that may be suitable for future residential development in the period to 2040 and which are proposed to be brought forward for development in that period. This non‑statutory consultation process is being undertaken in response to:
The expressions of interest should support the planning authority when:
Submission Guide:
The public consultation will run from April 10th to June 5th, 2026 (updated) and written submissions will only be accepted during this period.
To make a submission, please fill out the questionnaire found on right side panel of this portal page. It is important to note that all expressions of interest made to the planning authority should take due account of the policies and objectives of the Waterford City & County Development Plan 2022 – 2028 (as detailed on the application form) which support the proper planning and sustainable development of Waterford.
The questionnaire may be submitted via :
Hard copies of the Development Plan are also available for inspection during opening hours at the Planning Office.
Further Information
It is intended that the consultation process will assist in the timely release of sequentially located and appropriately zoned land for residential development in order to streamline and phasing the delivery of essential enabling service infrastructure by the council, service providers, and the private sector. As stated in the March Plenary Report, ultimately while this process may result in the rezoning of land for residential use, given the quantum and spatial context of land zoned for R1 and SRR in the development plan, it is unlikely that this process will support significant new zoning of land for residential purposes beyond the spatial extent of current R1/SRR lands, as such land would potentially be outside built footprints of settlements and outside defined CSO settlement boundaries. The principal objective of the process is to support development of land which is sequentially located, development which is compact and infrastructure-led, and more importantly development which is consistent with the development plan outcomes and the policy objectives.
The process will be primarily used to finetune the phasing/tiering of land for residential development, the sequencing of infrastructure delivery and the potential rezoning of land from an existing land use to new residential land use.
The planning authority will prepare a report on the outcome of the non-statutory consultation process and publish a copy of that report on the consult.waterfordcouncil.ie portal and make it available to the Plenary Council. Any potential rezoning of land or other material changes to the development plan arising from the “expressions of interest call” will be implemented by way of a variation to the development plan under section 58 of the Planning and Development Act 2024, as amended, which is a reserved function of the Plenary Council.
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