Kilkenny County Council
Development Plan 2021 FAQs
FAQS - Kilkenny City and County Development Plan 2021
1. What is the Development Plan and how long is it in place for?
The Development Plan is a statutory document and sets out the planning and development policies and objectives for Kilkenny City and County.
The 2021 Development Plan came into effect on the 15th October 2021 and will remain in place until (at least) 2027.
Every planning application lodged since the 15th October 2021 is assessed under the content of the City and County Development Plan 2021.
The plan is made up of 3 Volumes:
- Volume 1: County
- Volume 2: City, and
- Volume 3: Settlement Plans.
There are also a number of appendices.
The Plan has been subject to a Draft Ministerial Direction and as a result the following sections have not come into effect:
- Section 11.4 Kilkenny Targets
- Section 11.5.1 Current Status and Targets
- Figure 11.4 Wind Strategy Areas
2. How long is the 2021 Plan in place for?
In the past, a Development Plan had a life span of 6 years. Recent legislation has changed this, and the next Development Plan will have a life span of 10 years. The 2021 Plan was due to expire in 2027, however, in order that the Development Plan aligns with the higher-level regional plan, (the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES)) the Development Plan will be extended.
The RSES process is underway, see https://southernassembly.ie/rses-review/
The review process for the next Kilkenny Development Plan is due to start in mid-2027.
3. Can the Development Plan be changed during its life?
A change to a Development Plan is known as a Variation. To date, there have been 10 Variations.
More information on the changes made is available here:
4. What is the Draft Ministerial Direction and what is the process?
On the 15th October 2021 the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) made a recommendation to the Minister of State at the Department of the Housing, Local Government and Heritage stating that the adopted Plan was not made in a manner consistent with recommendations of the OPR, which required specific changes to ensure consistency with the Specific Planning Policy Requirement contained in the Interim Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Statutory Plans, Renewable Energy and Climate Change (July 2017) published by the Minister under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act; specifically the Development Plan did not indicate how the implementation of the Development Plan over its effective period contributed to realising overall national targets on renewable energy and climate change mitigation and in particular wind energy production and the potential wind energy resource (in megawatts).
A public consultation period was held from the 29th October to the 12th November, 2021.
A report was prepared by the Chief Executive setting out a response and sent to the Minister. It is now the responsibility of the Minister to decide on whether or not to make a Direction.
There is no time line set out in planning legislation for the Ministerial Direction.
5. Is there a separate Plan for the City?
The 2021 Development Plan is one document, made up of three Volumes; Volume 1 sets out the overarching policies for the City and County such as Climate change, transport, heritage and Volume 2 sets of the planning policies particular to the City area. Volume 3 contains two Settlement Plans for Castlecomer and Ferrybank.
The land use zoning map for Kilkenny City (Figure CS4) can be found in an A3 version on the last page of Volume 2. The GIS map viewer has also been updated to correspond with the new Kilkenny City zoning map.
The land use zoning map for the City contains various different land use zoning types which gives an indication of what type of development is acceptable within each land use objective. Each of these land use zoning objectives is set out in Volume 2, Section 2.9.1.
The land use zoning map for the City includes objectives (denoted as Z1 etc). These are specific objectives for certain areas of the City. The text explaining each of these objectives is set out in Volume 2, Section 2.9.17.
6. Where can I find the Rural Housing Policy?
The Rural Housing Policy is set out in Volume 1, Section 7.8. The rural housing strategy map (Figure 7.1) can also be found in this section.
7. What are the differences relating to rural housing, from the previous (2014) plan, if any?
In this Plan there are only two categories namely, Areas Under Urban Influence (Pink) and Other Rural Areas (Blue). The criteria for each of these areas is set out in Volume 1, Section 7.8.4.
Volume 1, Chapter 4, Section 4.6 includes settlement boundary maps for 22 Rural Towns and Villages throughout the County (See Table 4.3). The rural housing policy does not apply within the red line boundary of these settlement maps. If the applicant wishes to apply for a one-off dwelling outside of the red line boundary they must comply with the rural housing policy and refer to Section 7.8 of the Plan.
8. Has the new Government policy on rural housing been incorporated?
The Government published a Draft Sustainable Rural and Gaeltacht Housing National Planning Statement in June 2026. This Statement is now being assessed for its environmental implications. Once the Government adopts the Statement, the Council will review its Development Plan to ensure it is aligned with Government policy.
9. Has there been any changes to Architectural Conservation Areas (ACA’s)?
Yes, the ACA boundaries for some areas has been amended and new ACA areas have also been included.
Volume 1, Section 9.3.3.1 includes text and maps for each ACA in the County
Volume 2, Section 4.5 includes text and maps for each ACA in the City.
The Record of Protected Structures (RPS) is set out in Appendix I for the County and Appendix J for the City.
10. What is the position on Local Area Plans?
Since the adoption of the 2021 Plan, the Plan has been varied (Variations 5 and 6) to include a Volume 3, containing Settlement Plans for Castlecomer and Ferrybank, which replace those Local Area Plans.
Under Variation 8B, the Development Plan was varied to include zoning maps for Callan, Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch and Thomastown. The zoning for those 3 towns is now set out under Variation 8B, but the Local Area Plans remain in place as follows (unless extended):
Callan LAP – 2019-2028
Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch LAP – 2021-202
Thomastown LAP - 2019-2028
Each of the above Plans are available to view here.
11. Where can I find recommended standards etc for new development?
All development management standards are set out in Volume 1, Chapter 13.
Chapter 13 deals with car parking recommendations, building heights, bin storage, separation distances etc, for developments.
12. Where can I find out more, or be kept up to date?
The plan, and all Variations, is available here: https://kilkennycoco.ie/eng/services/planning/development-plans/city-and-county-development-plan/adopted-city-and-county-development-plan.html
If you are interested in the process, you can register with our consult portal (https://consult.kilkenny.ie/) and opt in to receive notifications. You will receive notifications then once any plan is being reviewed.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact the team at ourplan@kilkennycoco.ie
A hard copy of the Plan, and all Variations, is available at the public counter of the Planning Department if any member of the public would like to come in and view it.
