Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 7 September 2018
1425. Deputy Darragh O'Brien asked the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government if county development plans currently under review should be suspended pending the issuing of regional planning guidelines with regard to the implementation roadmap for the national planning framework circular issued by his Department in July 2018. [36884/18]
View answerThe National Planning Framework (NPF), published under Project Ireland 2040, sits at the top of the planning policy hierarchy in Ireland and provides a structure for future development and investment over the next two decades. This national level planning policy is being implemented at the regional level through preparation of statutory Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSES) for the three Regional Assembly areas. The RSES process formally commenced earlier this year with a pre-draft public consultation phase, following the launching of the NPF. Draft Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies are currently being prepared for public consultation later this Autumn.
My Department recently issued Circular Letter FPS 04-2018 and the NPF Implementation Roadmap which provide guidance on the alignment of city and county development plans with the NPF. The Roadmap referred to the advisability of pausing local authority development plan review processes that are under way to await the latest data and policy contexts set out in the RSES.
The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 includes provisions for the initiation of review of City/County Development Plans to be:
1. Deferred on a once-off basis, where due to commence prior to or within a period of 3 months after the initial making of the relevant RSES, until not later than a period of 3 months after the relevant RSES has been made; or
2. Temporarily suspended, where commenced and ongoing and where a draft plan has not been submitted to the members of the Planning Authority under Section 11(5)(a) of the Act, prior to the initial making of the relevant RSES in each case, until not later than a period of 3 months after the relevant RSES has been made.
These provisions should ensure an efficient and effective process of alignment between all the levels of spatial planning in our planning process, from national to regional to local. The Commencement Order, which is necessary for the formal commencement of these provisions, is being finalised by my Department, in conjunction with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel, with a view to these provisions coming into effect imminently.
The Circular and Implementation Framework are available on my Department’s website at the following link: https://www.housing.gov.ie/search/archived/current?query=Circular+FPS+04%2F2018.
