Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2020
321. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the outcome of the review by his Department of the decision of the European Court of Justice known as the Flemish decree; if the ruling of the ECJ will be reflected in the plans of his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28496/20]
View answerUnder the Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Rural Housing 2005, planning authorities are required to frame the planning policies in their development plans in a balanced and measured way that ensures the housing needs of rural communities are met, while avoiding excessive urban-generated housing.
The National Planning Framework (the NPF) provides an important strategic basis for interpreting the 2005 Guidelines. National Policy Objective (NPO) 15 of the NPF fully supports the concept of the sustainable development of rural areas by encouraging growth and arresting decline in areas that have experienced low population growth or decline in recent decades, while simultaneously indicating the need to manage certain areas around cities and towns.
The 2005 Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines are framed in the context of the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) 2002. Given the superseding of the NSS by the National Planning Framework (NPF) in 2018, together with the long-standing need to address the implications of the 2013 European Court of Justice ruling in the "Flemish Decree" case, the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines require updating, in a broader rural development and settlement context. My Department has commenced scoping this work and I expect a draft by the end of this year.
In the interim, the NPF objectives together with the 2005 Guidelines, enable planning authorities to continue to draft and adopt county development plan policies for one-off housing in rural areas.
