Sinn Féin Housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin TD has said that Sinn Féin is open to the rezoning proposals for industrial and commercial land in Dublin City and South Dublin County, however crucial conditions must be applied.

Deputy Ó Broin said:

“Sinn Féin is open to the rezoning proposals for industrial and commercial land in Dublin City and South Dublin County, however, crucial conditions must be applied.

“The sites should be seen as an opportunity to deliver mid-rise, high-density affordable housing developments with good public transport links with social and economic amenities incorporated.

“The sites should be properly master-planned by the local authorities with input from the local elected representatives and communities not unlike the SDZ process.

“It must also be ensured that the new communities developed are sustainable in terms of access to schools, public transport and green spaces.

“There is a real risk that if this process is not approached in the right way that the dividend from the increased land value after the rezoning is lost to the city as the sites are flipped by developers. The government must actively consider the introduction of a significant windfall tax to ensure that the uplift in the value of any rezoned lands is returned to the local community.

“The government must ensure that the development on these sites adhere to the principles set out the National Planning Framework and the development plans and do not fall foul of speculative developer led planning.”