Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 March 2004
559 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the plans he has to establish an implementation group to deliver the national spatial strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8731/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraA wide range of measures have been put in place at national, regional and local level to implement the national spatial strategy, or NSS, which is a 20-year planning framework designed to enable every part of the country to achieve its potential. At national level, my Department is leading and overseeing the process of embedding the NSS into the policies, programmes and activities of Departments and agencies with a view to ensuring that all relevant activities support the NSS and that the strategy directs the spatial aspects of public sector programmes, including the determination of investment priorities. An interdepartmental steering group, similar to that which oversaw the preparation of the strategy, has been established and is now working to oversee its implementation.
At regional level, regional authorities, working in conjunction with their constituent local authorities, are making good progress on developing regional planning guidelines to roll out the NSS in more detail at regional level. Draft guidelines have been published in all the regions, and it is anticipated that regional planning guidelines will have been adopted by all regional authorities by the end of May 2004.
Regarding NSS implementation at local level, planning authorities are putting in place development frameworks and plans at the gateway and hub level, that will support the achievement of a critical mass of development at strategic locations. Those are already established in a number of locations, e.g. Cork area strategic plan and Galway transportation and planning strategy, and are well advanced in others.
