Portlaw Local Area Plan 2007 - 2013 - Waterford County Council

Chapter 3: Residential Development3.1 RESIDENTIALLY ZONED LANDS3.1.1 Residentially zoned lands requiredIt is estimated, given the projected increase in population numbersthat approximately 425 3 additional households will be required bythe end of 2016 4 . Table 3 below calculates the quantities of landrequired to accommodate these households, at differing scales ofdensity as recommended by the Residential Density, Guidelines forPlanning Authorities (1999).DensityUnits peracre/hectareLow 6 / 15 71/28Medium 8 / 20 53/21High 10 / 25 42/17Table 3:Quantity of landrequired (acres /Hectares)Land required to accommodate projected populationto the year 2016.The exact amount of land required to accommodate the projectedpopulation growth differs depending on the density used. Lowdensity development will require 28 hectares of land with higherdensity requiring as little as 17 hectares to accommodate projectedpopulation growth. An examination of the Plan area shows asubstantial level of land is undeveloped and available for housingpurposes within Portlaw to cater for the projected population overthe plan period.3.1.2 Existing zoned land bankThere is currently 32 hectares of residentially zoned lands availablefor development within Portlaw to accommodate the projectedpopulation for the plan period.Table 4 below illustrates the zoned land bank, which has beendeveloped (or has been committed to development) over the 2002Plan period. Over the period 2002 – 2006, 13 hectares ofresidentially zoned lands was either developed or committed todevelopment within the plan boundary. This illustrates that the areaof the existing undeveloped zoned land bank within Portlaw is more3 Based on an average household size of 2.73 persons per unit.4 In accordance with Development Plans- Consultation Draft of Guidelines for Planning Authorities, we arerequired to ensure that there is sufficient zoned lands available to meet the residential needs of the area forat least nine years.20