Zoning objectives in Dublin
Each council’s development plan zones land for a purpose: Z1 in Dublin City, A in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, RS in Fingal, RES in South Dublin. Here is each zone in the plan’s own words, with how many sites so zoned have a public signal today.
Dublin City
From the Dublin City Development Plan 2022–2028.
| Zone | Objective (the plan’s words) | Sites with a signal |
|---|---|---|
| Z1 Sustainable Residential Neighbourhoods | To protect, provide and improve residential amenities. | 2,861 |
| Z2 Residential Neighbourhoods (Conservation Areas) | To protect and/or improve the amenities of residential conservation areas. | 967 |
| Z3 Neighbourhood Centres | To provide for and improve neighbourhood facilities. | 28 |
| Z4 Key Urban Villages/Urban Villages | To provide for and improve mixed-services facilities. | 101 |
| Z5 City Centre | To consolidate and facilitate the development of the central area, and to identify, reinforce, strengthen and protect its civic design character and dignity. | 237 |
| Z6 Employment/Enterprise | To provide for the creation and protection of enterprise and facilitate opportunities for employment creation. | 172 |
| Z7 Employment (Heavy) | To provide for the protection and creation of industrial uses, and facilitate opportunities for employment creation including Port Related Activities. | 23 |
| Z8 Georgian Conservation Areas | To protect the existing architectural and civic design character, and to allow only for limited expansion consistent with the conservation objective. | 54 |
| Z9 Amenity/Open Space Lands/Green Network | To preserve, provide and improve recreational amenity, open space and ecosystem services. | 341 |
| Z10 Inner Suburban and inner City Sustainable Mixed-Uses | To consolidate and facilitate the development of inner city and inner suburban sites for mixed-uses. | 49 |
| Z11 Waterways Protection | To protect and improve canal, coastal and river amenities. | 15 |
| Z12 Institutional Land (Future Development Potential) | To ensure existing environmental amenities are protected in the predominantly residential future use of these lands. | 39 |
| Z14 Strategic Development and Regeneration Areas (SDRAs) | To seek the social, economic and physical development and/or regeneration of an area with mixed-use, of which residential would be the predominant use. | 174 |
| Z15 Community and Social Infrastructure | To protect and provide for community uses and social infrastructure. | 146 |
Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown
From the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Development Plan 2022–2028.
| Zone | Objective (the plan’s words) | Sites with a signal |
|---|---|---|
| A | To provide residential development and improve residential amenity while protecting the existing residential amenities | 2,124 |
| A1 | To provide for new residential communities and Sustainable Neighbourhood Infrastructure in accordance with approved local area plans | 7 |
| A2 | To provide for the creation of sustainable residential neighbourhoods and preserve and protect residential amenity. | 7 |
| B | To protect and improve rural amenity and to provide for the development of agriculture. | 6 |
| DC | To protect, provide for and-or improve mixed-use district centre facilities. | 17 |
| E | To provide for economic development and employment. | 18 |
| F | To preserve and provide for open space with ancillary active recreational amenities. | 118 |
| G | To protect and improve high amenity areas. | 6 |
| GB | To protect and enhance the open nature of lands between urban areas. | 1 |
| LIW | To improve and provide for low density warehousing-light industrial warehousing uses. | 7 |
| MIC | To consolidate and complete the development of the mixed use inner core to enhance and reinforce sustainable development. | 1 |
| MOC | To provide for a mix of uses. Which complements the inner core, but with less retail and residential and more emphasis on employment and services. | 16 |
| MTC | To protect, provide for and-or improve major town centre facilities. | 23 |
| NC | To protect, provide for and-or improve mixed-use neighbourhood centre facilities. | 22 |
| OE | To provide for office and enterprise development. | 23 |
| SNI | To protect, improve and encourage the provision of sustainable neighbourhood infrastructure. | 36 |
| TLI | To facilitate, support and enhance the development of third level education institutions. | 16 |
| W | To provide for waterfront development and harbour related uses. | 2 |
Fingal
From the Fingal Development Plan 2023–2029.
| Zone | Objective (the plan’s words) | Sites with a signal |
|---|---|---|
| CI Community Infrastructure | Provide for and protect civic, religious, community, education, health care and social infrastructure | 86 |
| DA Dublin Airport | Ensure the efficient and effective operation and development of the airport in accordance with an approved Local Area Plan | 0 |
| FP Food Park | Provide for and facilitate the development of a Food Industry Park | 4 |
| GB Green Belt | Protect and provide for a Greenbelt | 18 |
| GE General Employment | Provide opportunities for general enterprise and employment | 76 |
| HA High Amenity | Protect and enhance high amenity areas | 120 |
| HI Heavy Industry | Provide for heavy industry | 0 |
| HT High Technology | Provide for office, research and development and high technology/high technology manufacturing type employment in a high quality built and landscaped environment | 66 |
| LC Local Centre | Protect, provide for and/or improve local centre facilities | 16 |
| MC Major Town Centre | Protect, provide for and/ or improve major town centre facilities | 46 |
| ME Metro Economic Corridor | Provide for an area of compact, high intensity/density, employment generating activity with associated commercial and residential development which focuses on the Metro within a setting of exemplary urban design, public realm streets and places, which are permeable, secure and within a high quality green landscape. Landmark buildings will provide strong quality architectural features, which respect and enhance the character of the area into which they sit. The designated areas will form sustainable districts which possess a high degree of connectivity and accessibility and will be developed in a phased manner subject to the necessary provision of social and physical infrastructure. | 0 |
| MRE Metro and Rail Economic Corridor | Facilitate opportunities for high-density mixed-use employment generating activity and commercial development and support the provision of an appropriate quantum of residential development within the Metro and Rail Economic Corridor. | 53 |
| NSC National Sports Campus | Provide for and facilitate the development of a National Sports Campus | 7 |
| OS Open Space | Preserve and provide for open space and recreational amenities | 357 |
| RA Residential Area | Provide for new residential communities subject to the provision of the necessary social and physical infrastructure | 172 |
| RB Rural Business | Provide for and facilitate rural-related business which has a demonstrated need for a rural location | 1 |
| RC Rural Cluster | Provide for small scale infill development serving local needs while maintaining the rural nature of the cluster | 0 |
| RD Road | No wording in the zoning map | 310 |
| RL Rail | No wording in the zoning map | 5 |
| RS Residential | Provide for residential development and protect and improve residential amenity | 2,701 |
| RU Rural | Protect and promote in a balanced way, the development of agriculture and rural related enterprise, biodiversity, the rural landscape, and the built and cultural heritage | 16 |
| RV Rural Village | Protect and promote the character of the Rural Village and promote a vibrant community in accordance with an approved land use plan, and the availability of physical and community infrastructure | 38 |
| RW Retail Warehousing | Provide for retail warehousing development | 2 |
| TC Town and District Centre | Protect and enhance the special physical and social character of town and district centres and provide and/ or improve urban facilities | 69 |
| UNZ Unzoned | Unzoned | 0 |
| WD Warehousing and Distribution | Provide for distribution, warehouse, storage and logistics facilities which require good access to a major road network within a good quality environment | 0 |
South Dublin
From the South Dublin County Development Plan 2022–2028.
| Zone | Objective (the plan’s words) | Sites with a signal |
|---|---|---|
| DC | To protect, improve and provide for the future development of District Centres | 7 |
| EE | To provide for enterprise and employment related uses | 82 |
| HA-DM | To protect and enhance the outstanding natural character of the Dublin Mountains Area | 0 |
| HA-DV | To protect and enhance the outstanding character and amenity of the Dodder Valley | 21 |
| HA-LV | To protect and enhance the outstanding character and amenity of the Liffey Valley | 14 |
| LC | To protect, improve and provide for the future development of Local Centres | 22 |
| MRC | To protect, improve and provide for the future development of a Major Retail Centre | 6 |
| OS | To preserve and provide for open space and recreational amenities | 338 |
| REGEN | To facilitate enterprise and/or residential led regeneration | 78 |
| RES | To protect and/or improve residential amenity | 1,684 |
| RES-N | To provide for new residential communities in accordance with approved area plans | 95 |
| RU | To protect and improve rural amenity and to provide for the development of agriculture | 18 |
| RW | To provide for and consolidate retail warehousing | 2 |
| SDZ | To provide for strategic development in accordance with approved planning schemes | 130 |
| TC | To protect, improve and provide for the future development of Town Centres | 32 |
| VC | To protect, improve and provide for the future development of Village Centres | 19 |
Wording and zones from the Department of Housing, national zoning map (GZT). Check the development plan before relying on a zone: it lists which uses are allowed in each.