Reports call for planning body to control urban sprawl

A new body should be created to control planning in the Dublin region after a report highlighted continuing urban sprawl and unstable housing development, it was claimed today.

An independent study revealed housing is not being developed in line with the National Spatial Strategy and Regional Planning guidelines.

Conor Hogan, president of the Society of Chartered Surveyors, which commissioned the report, said the urgent need for a separate development body with central control over Dublin regions is shown by the fact of the approximate 18,000 housing units built in the four Dublin Local Authorities in 2006 the majority have been provided in Fingal.

Mr Hogan said under provision has continued in other local authority areas, particularly in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown.

The study highlighted population losses are now occurring in modern suburban areas of Dublin including parts of Tallaght, Blanchardstown and Templeogue as the population ages with children moving on to new locations.

Dr Brendan Williams, lecturer in Urban Development and Planning at UCD, who carried out the 18-month research programme, said this is leading to a potential under-utilisation of infrastructure which will be needed in areas where there is population growth.

The report found areas near good infrastructure and transport links such as Dundrum are experiencing significant population growth.

Dr Williams found there will be increased fragmentation of the Greater Dublin area housing market this year which will impact on future price trends.

Mr Hogan said: “Some areas near good infrastructure and transport links will do better than those with weak location attributes or services. This more fragmented market will give rise to a trend of diverging prices with certain areas remaining strong, whilst others will weaken over the next 18 months.

“Based on the findings of the study, prices are expected to stabilise in some areas as overall demand and supply levels come close to equilibrium. Any price increases in 2007 are likely to be in single figures and in line with construction inflation. These will be most likely for housing in the better locations.”

Dr Williams said he believed weaker regional locations, which are less accessible to primary employment centres and with poor transport and amenities, will suffer as the Dublin market becomes increasingly fragmented.

“The envisaged weaker Dublin locations will allow for movement of some of the deflected population back to the Greater Dublin area,” he said.

The SCS housing study, which probes the growth pattern in the Dublin area, found it will be necessary to maintain the increased housing supply levels.

The study found the strong demand for housing in the region is likely to continue through to 2009.

Mr Hogan warned politics should to be removed from the land zoning process, and called for the Mahon tribunal to make recommendations, both structural and legal, to achieve this.

The new study found Dublin urban sprawl is continuing, with the commuter belt now stretching out to 100 kilometres from the capital into outer Leinster and south Ulster.

“Housing development is occurring in a dynamic but unstable manner, often caused by major problems in managing the land supply process,” Dr Williams said.

“There is an absence of integration of housing, land use and transport infrastructure, which is causing major problems for accessibility and sustainability.

“The recent demand for housing has been largely absorbed by the outward growth of the commuter belt, which has created a major sprawl-type settlement trend with new mono-type housing areas and a near total dependency on private cars. These development patterns have been supply-push led with limited affordable housing available in Dublin and house buyers trading off lower land values for higher commuting costs.”