Cork City Council Publishes Proposed Variation of City Development Plan to Rezone 270 Hectares for Residential Purposes
15/04/2026
Cork City Council publishes proposed variation of City Development Plan to rezone 270 hectares for residential purposes
Cork City Council has published a proposed variation to the Cork City Development Plan which seeks to increase the amount of land zoned for residential development, in order to secure the objectives of national guidelines issued last year.
The Government published the first revision of the National Planning Framework in April 2025, which set new national housing growth targets.
This was followed by the publication of the ‘National Planning Framework Implementation: Housing Growth Requirements Guidelines for Planning Authorities’ in July 2025.
Under these guidelines, each local authority is required to zone additional land for residential development to meet the Government’s revised housing growth targets.
Since the publication of the guidelines, Cork City Council undertook a robust capacity audit of existing zoned lands in the city and an assessment of ‘un-zoned’ lands that could contribute toward the sustainable, transport-oriented development of the city.
The City Council also carried out a non-statutory consultation in late 2025 as part of this process, inviting submissions from landowners and homebuilders for recommendations for suitable new residential lands.
The result of this process is Proposed Variation (No. 3) of the Cork City Development Plan which seeks to zone 270 hectares (approximately 670 acres) of land for residential purposes up to 2030, when a new City Development Plan will be in place.
The variation also proposes amendments to the rural housing policy.
The City Council has today published details of the proposed variation, with details on the text and mapping changes to a number of chapters and maps of the current Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028.
Submissions on the proposed variation can be made from any interested party up to the closing date of 5pm on May 13, 2026 via the City Council’s consultation portal or in writing.
Copies of the proposed variation and other relevant documents may be inspected from April 15 2026 to May 13 2026 inclusive:
• Online at: www.corkcitydevelopmentplan.ie or at: http://consult.corkcity.ie
• The Planning Counter, Cork City Council, City Hall, Anglesea Street, Cork from 10am to 4pm, Monday - Friday.
• City Library (and branch libraries on request)
Children or groups or associations representing the interests of children, are particularly encouraged to make submissions.
Submissions will be made public on the council’s website (http://consult.corkcity.ie) and will also form part of the statutory Chief Executive’s Report, which will be published on the council’s website.