The Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) has strongly condemned the recent media reports of a possible Government proposal to grant Ministers special powers to override local authorities in rezoning land for housing, warning that it would mark the “death of local democracy.”
AILG President Cllr. Kieran O’Hanlon said the move would further centralise decision-making in an already highly centralised system.
“This unprecedented proposal completely disregards the role of elected councillors in shaping their communities. Councillors have spent years working within strict national and regional planning guidelines to develop balanced, well-considered Development Plans. Now, their work risks being cast aside in favour of ministerial diktat,” he said.
If land needs to be rezoned, this should be done via the powers that currently exist in terms of the review of county and city development plans and the reserved functions of the elected councillors rather than by ministerial special powers.
He also pointed to the Council of Europe’s 2023 report, which criticised the lack of autonomy in Irish local government and called for stronger governance and oversight powers for councillors.
“Two years on from that damning report, we are facing an even greater erosion of local democracy. Instead of empowering local government as recommended, the Government is now doubling down on centralised control,” he said.
The AILG argues that the housing crisis is not due to a shortage of zoned land but rather the failure to develop sites with existing planning permission. He also warned that simply zoning more land will not solve the problem.
“Many sites remain undeveloped due to a lack of essential infrastructure like water, wastewater, and transport. Local authorities have repeatedly called for greater investment in these services, yet progress has been painfully slow. Instead of adding more un-serviced land, the priority should be making existing sites viable for development.”
The AILG is calling on the Government to scrap the “undemocratic” proposal and to instead focus on real solutions to the housing crisis, including:
- Enforcing development of existing planning permissions and tackling land hoarding.
- Increasing investment in Uisce Éireann to accelerate infrastructure delivery.
- Respecting the democratic role of councillors in shaping local development.
“This crisis requires proper, sustainable solutions—not rushed, top-down decisions that undermine local democracy. The AILG urges the Government to engage with local authorities and local councillors to work towards meaningful, long-term planning instead of imposing ill-considered rezoning mandates.”
