This one’s catching a lot of people out - particularly those looking to demolish older houses in Monkstown, Glasthule, Dalkey and Killiney.
Under the Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Development Plan 2022–2028, Policy Objective CA6 states that the retrofit and reuse of existing buildings will be prioritised over demolition and reconstruction wherever possible.
Many people are still buying older homes with a view to knock and rebuild — unaware that, under this policy, that’s now far from straightforward.
To be clear ,this restriction applies to one-for-one replacement dwellings only.
There’s a potential exemption where a proposal seeks to increase density — for example, replacing one house with multiple new units.
But for anyone seeking to demolish and replace a single dwelling, CA6 applies in full.
This policy doesn’t just apply to protected structures or buildings of architectural importance , it applies across the board.
Planners now expect clear technical justification before they’ll consider demolition acceptable.
There’s no formal scoring system, but the assessment will require a robust technical justification and proof that the existing building is beyond repair, or that retention would compromise safety or quality.
In reality, the process is highly subjective and from experience, the threshold is very high- There’s no shortage of people who’ve found themselves having to retrofit properties they bought as “sites.”
To be clear — the only way to make a strong case is through technical evidence, not personal preference or cost.
Planners don’t care that retrofit is too expensive or inconvenient.
