Strategic Housing Development(SHD)
The former fast-track route (2017–2021) where large housing schemes applied directly to the national planning body. Replaced by LRD, but still appears in historic records.
Under the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016, Strategic Housing Developments of 100+ units or 200+ student bed spaces applied directly to An Bord Pleanála, bypassing the local authority decision and the third-party appeal. That removal proved controversial and led to many judicial reviews. SHD closed to new applications in December 2021 and was replaced by LRD.
SHD wording still matters when reading historic ACP files, older permissions (many are only now being built), judicial-review histories and replacement LRD applications on the same sites.
SHD shows up in historic appeals and permissions; some SHD-granted schemes are only reaching commencement now, so they still appear as live on-site leads.
See it in live data
Common questions
No — it closed to new applications in December 2021 and was replaced by the LRD process.
It removed the local-authority decision and the third-party appeal, which led to a wave of judicial reviews.
Yes — many SHD permissions are still live and being built out.
This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Planning rules carry conditions and exceptions — always verify a specific case against the official source or a planning professional before acting.