2.3 - Settlement Strategy

The Dublin City Settlement Strategy is guided by the policy framework set out at a national and regional level. Dublin City comprises of the central areas and a series of well-established urban villages serving suburban housing located on main transport corridors. This existing pattern of development and movement forms the basis for Dublin’s settlement strategy. Compact growth will be promoted throughout the city through appropriate infill development and consolidation of brownfield sites and targeted growth along key transport corridors.

Dublin City Council has a unique position in relation to applying the RSES Settlement Hierarchy in that the entire area of the Council falls within Tier 1.

Broadly, the settlement hierarchy prioritises development in the inner city and the Key Urban Villages. It also specifically targets the Strategic Development and Regeneration Areas, which are primarily brownfield lands located in both inner and outer city areas, where there is capacity to absorb a greater intensification of development owing to their proximity to public transport corridors and supporting urban infrastructure. The SDRA’s align with the Strategic Development Areas, as set out in the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan for Dublin. All SDRAs are accompanied by guiding principles set out under Chapter 13 of the development plan. Some SDRA’s are also governed by an existing LAP or Planning Scheme. In general, a mixed use approach is promoted in the SDRAs, with the objective to create vibrant self-sustaining residential communities served by commensurate social and physical infrastructure as well as commercial development.

Table 2-8 in Section 2.4 below contains the core strategy for the city, incorporating the settlement hierarchy for the city as thus outlined.

The Key Urban Villages (KUV) represent Level 3 Town and /or district centres as per the RSES’s Retail Hierarchy for the Region. This development plan identifies 12 Key Urban Villages for the city, of which five are located on SDRA designated lands including Ballymun, Clongriffin / Belmayne, Finglas, Naas Road and Point Village/Poolbeg. The remaining KUVs are located throughout the city at Ballyfermot, Crumlin Shopping Centre, Donaghmede Shopping Centre, Northside Shopping Centre, Omni, Phibsborough and Rathmines (see also Retail Strategy, Appendix 2).

The settlement strategy is also based on the key principles of healthy place-making and the 15 minute city (see also Chapter 5: Quality Housing and Sustainable Neighbourhoods). The RSES promotes ‘healthy place-making’ which focuses on the delivery of compact and sustainable growth that incorporates well-designed, lifetime adaptable development in close proximity to existing services and facilities.