Planning

Living  /  Services  /  Planning  /  Development Plans & Strategies  /  National, Regional & County Plans  /  Wicklow County Development Plan 2022 - 2028  /  Proposed Variation No. 7
IN THIS SECTION

Proposed Variation No. 7

Proposed Variation No. 7

In accordance with Section 58 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (as amended), in September 2026 Wicklow County Council published Proposed Variation No. 7 to the County Development Plan 2022-2028 (as varied).

The Proposed Variation is to further take account of ‘NPF Implementation: Housing Growth Requirements’ - Guidelines for Planning Authorities, issued under Section 28 of the Planning & Development Act 2000 (as amended) (July 2025). The Guidelines provide for an increased annual housing growth requirement for Wicklow County Council, and an ‘additional provision’ mechanism to support the zoning of additional lands in areas where it can be justified.

The Proposed Variation considers the zoning of lands for additional residential development and associated uses in settlements in the County.

The Proposed Variation was published for public consultation on 10 September 2026 with members of the public and interested bodies invited to make submissions and observations. The consultation closed at 5pm (17:00) on Thursday 8 October 2026. Further submissions will not be accepted. 

The Council is currently reviewing the submissions received and they will be published on our website in due course (available via the link below).

Next Steps

The Chief Executive is preparing a report which will summarise and respond to the submissions received, and set out any recommendations. This Chief Executive's report will be submitted to elected members for their consideration and will be published on this website.

Both Proposed Variation No. 7 and the Chief Executive's report will be considered by elected members at a future council meeting. 

Submissions

Click here to view the submissions made to Proposed Variation No. 7

Introduction booklet

This booklet provides important information on the aim and reason for the Proposed Variation, and the structure of the documents, but does not itself propose variations to the County Development Plan.

  1. PV7 Introduction

    File type .pdf

Part 1: Proposed Variation

Document outlining the Proposed Variation to town / settlement zoning maps and, where relevant, proposed new or amended site specific policy objectives. For ease, this document has been made available to download both as one combined booklet below and as smaller sub-section files HERE (one for each of the affected settlements).

  1. PV7 Part 1 Proposed Variation Main Document

    File type .pdf
  2. PV7 Part 1 Zoning Maps Booklet

    File type .pdf

Part 2: Consequent changes

Consequent changes to Chapter 3 of the County Development Plan as a result of the proposed land use zonings.

  1. PV7 Part 2 Consequent Changes to Chapter 3

    File type .pdf

SEA and AA Screening Determinations

SEA Screening and AA Screening for the emerging Proposed Variation were both carried out, with an SEA Screening Determination and an AA Screening Determination made in July 2026.

Background: The Call for Sites

Proposed Variation No. 7 has been informed by the non-statutory ‘Call for Sites’ consultation, which sought suggestions of lands that could be considered for future land use zoning for housing development. The consultation closed on 27 February 2026. Over 200 submissions were received. For further information, please see the dedicated webpage HERE.

Appendix D of Proposed Variation No. 7 is a report summarising the assessment of the submissions and the Zoning Criteria used to determine which land would be suitable for zoning for housing development at this time.

 

Next Steps

The Proposed Variation will be progressed in accordance with the timescales and requirements set out in Section 58 of the Planning & Development Act 2024 (as amended). This webpage will be kept up to date with the current stage of the process.

The Office of the Planning Regulator also provides a useful calculator Plan Making Calculator tool which illustrates the steps in the process and the timescales. Follow the link HERE

  • Select ‘Variation to Development Plan Process’ via the dropdown menu.
  • Select Step A: Public Consultation on Proposed Variation starts
  • Date: 10 September 2026

Should you have any queries please contact ForwardPlanningAndHeritage@wicklowcoco.ie or contact the Planning Department on 0404 20148.