The National Planning Framework, titled Ireland 2040 - Our Plan, will set a new strategic planning and development framework for the co-ordination of a range of national, regional and local authority policies and activities, planning and investment including new Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES) to be prepared by the three Regional Assemblies established under the Local Government Act 2014 and which strategies will succeed the current Regional Planning Guidelines prepared by the now defunct Regional Authorities which the Assemblies have replaced. Until such time as both the NPF and the RSESs are adopted later in 2017 and 2018, respectively, the existing National Spatial Strategy and existing Regional Planning Guidelines will remain in place.
The RSESs will support the implementation of the NPF and the economic policies and objectives of the Government by providing a long-term planning and economic development framework to guide action at local government level such as the statutory development plan process and the Local Economic and Community Plans also provided for under the Local Government Act 2014.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 (currently at Committee Stage) provides for the establishment of the Office of the Planning Regulator, which will be a prescribed body for the purposes of the preparation of future Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies. Under the proposed legislation above, the OPR, in addition to making observations on the RSES preparation process to the Assembly concerned, would also be empowered, where breaches of legislative and national policy requirements arise, to make recommendations to the Minister in relation to the use of the Minister’s existing powers under Section 31 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 to direct the relevant Assembly on the content of its Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy, thereby ensuring policy alignment between all tiers of the statutory plan making processes at national, regional and local levels. As the power to issue a direction would continue to be vested with the Minister, any decision on whether or not to issue would ultimately remain with him.
