Pauline Tully
Question:669. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the work he has undertaken to pursue the adoption of an all-island approach to national planning frameworks. [14707/21]
View answerWednesday, 24 March 2021
Questions (669)
Written answers
My Department continues to engage both at official and Ministerial levels in various cross-border fora that support north-south co-operation and an all-island approach to planning. The British-Irish Council, established in 1999, is one such forum through which its members discuss, consult and use best endeavours to reach agreement on co-operation on matters of mutual interest within the competence of its Member Administrations, comprising six constituent members including, inter alia, the NI Executive and the Irish Government.
Most recently, there was a virtual Joint Ministerial meeting of the Collaborative Spatial Planning (CSP) and Housing work sectors on 25th February last, hosted by the Northern Ireland Executive. Ministers agreed forward work plans for both the CSP Housing work sectors, which identify the areas of focus for the work sectors for the next 3 years. Strategic policy priorities agreed by Ministers for the CSP sector for the period February 2021 - January 2023 include (i) the Contribution of Spatial Planning to the revitalisation of towns; (ii) the Contribution of Spatial Planning to ‘Building Better Places’ in the context of the Covid recovery; (iii) Best practice in National/Regional Planning Frameworks; and (iv) promotion of expert learning and experience sharing. The Northern Ireland Executive will be the Lead Administration for the CSP Sector.
In addition to structured fora, my Department fully supports any opportunities that seek to strengthen cross-border co-operation and an all-island approach. For example, Minister O’Brien accepted an invitation from the Irish Central Border Area Network (ICBAN) to attend and speak at the virtual launch today, (24 March) of a new strategic initiative for the cross-border region, ‘The Framework of Regional Priorities for the Central Border Region, 2021-2027’ (FRP). I believe that Minister Nichola Mallon from the NI Executive has also been invited to speak.
ICBAN is the local authority-led development organisation for the Central Border Region area, which includes the Councils of Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon; Cavan; Donegal; Fermanagh and Omagh; Leitrim; Mid Ulster; Monaghan; and Sligo. The FRP is supported by the eight member local authorities of the cross-border partnership.
The FRP outlines the region’s response to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, climate disruption, and the exit of the UK from the European Union. The regional priorities encompass a wide range of economic, social, and environmental considerations, including hard infrastructure and quality of life factors. The FRP, which is a non-statutory document, is intended to complement the local regional, national, and international strategies, policies and frameworks impacting on the area, including the Framework for Cooperation – Spatial Strategies of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, and is set within the planning framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.