Development Plans & Core Strategies

Development Plans & Core Strategies Padraig Maguire Regional Planning Guidelines Implementation Officer

Content of Presentation • Legacy of Planning; • Reflection of Development Plans; • Outline of expectations of Core Strategy • Summary – key messages

Legacy of Planning Key influences of the planning, banking and political systems to development of property bubble “there can be no doubt that, aside from the reckless banking practices which have been shown to have been so prevalent in our financial system, reckless zoning practices and soft touch regulation in our planning system have contributed in equal measure to the property boom and bust. The planning system has acted as a critical enabler for property speculation whereby the value of land was inflated beyond all reason by little more than a colour on a map…….. where very many of our citizens now find themselves in negative equity and our banks cannot function in extending credit to business together with the long term costs to society and future generations. Minister John Gormley’s Speech to Senate on Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill, 2009 in October 09

Legacy of Planning cont. • Current crisis is now forcing change in all sectors of our economy; • How will history reflect on us as planners? • There is an appetite for change in our political system; • Similarly, planning system must change in parallel with political reform; • Planners must position ourselves to positively influence our political masters; • Experience of RPGs review is that there is an appetite and acceptance for change in local politics

Reflection of Development Plans Have our Development Plans and Local Area Plans delivered sustainable planning frameworks in a plan led system? Development Plans - Introduction/vision/strategic objectives are generally quite good. Did the content of these plans reflect these aspirations? Development Plans generally outlined that they were compliant with parent documents – the content was quite different Planning applications were granted in accordance with Development plans

Reflection of Development Plans (cont.) • Number of Ministerial Directions under Section 31 of the Act; • Size and technical nature of development plans – the vision, aims, objectives state compliance and a sustainable planning framework – the content of the plans do something else!; • Number of LAPs throughout the country and their content – what do they actually do? • Lack of consistency throughout the hierarchy of development plans; • Conflicting messages/policies within development plans – need for a coherent planning framework; • Unfinished residential estates; • Vacant residential and commercial properties • The amount of zoned land that currently exists throughout the country;

Reflection of Development Plans (cont.) Drivers of existing patterns for Growth – key questions 1. What type of policies will reconcile the need to immediately stimulate economic activity while creating long term sustainable development? 2. What new or enhanced policies and measures are required to support a better focus of development within as opposed to around Gateways and Hubs, as well as in the other main towns? 3. How is the process of diversifying the economic structure of rural areas best supported while at the same time building up the critical mass of the Gateways and Hubs? 4. How can the progress of slower growing regions and the Atlantic Gateways be accelerated? 5. What spatial planning policies are needed to encourage significant shifts towards the use of ‘green’ modes of transport and shorter travel distances between home and workplace?

Reflection of Development Plans (cont.) Failures of the Planning System • Lack of quantitative and qualitative system; • There was no reflection or taking stock of what was happening; What we should have been doing!! • Analysing and evaluating what we had in terms of existing residential/commercial/industrial stock • Based on the above, we should have been identifying what we actually need over the next plan period? • How & where should the above be provided?

Reflection of Development Plans (cont.)

What Direction?

Developing a Core Strategy Section 10 outlines that development plans ‘shall include a core strategy which shows that the development objectives in the development plan are consistent, as far as practicable, with the national and regional development objectives set out in the NSS and RPGs’ Section 10 (1b) goes on to state that ‘a planning authority shall prepare a Core Strategy, other than where Section 10 (1c) applies, as soon as practicable and in any event not later than a period of 1 year after the making of RPGs……………… and shall accordingly vary the development plan under section 13 to include the Core Strategy’. Who is our audience? Government Departments, Funding bodies, Local Authorities, General Public, Investors, Developers, An Bord Pleanala, etc.

Content of a Core Strategy The content for Core Strategies is laid out in Section 10 (2a) of the P & D Act 2000, as amended. Two Types - A Core Strategy must be ‘fit for purpose’ • County Core Strategy • City and Town Core Strategy Basic questions to be addressed when incorporating a Core Strategy into a development plan by way of a variation under Section 13 of the Act: • How and where will the Core Strategy fit into aDevelopment Plan? • What other parts of the existing development plan should be amended to ensure consistency with the Core Strategy? • What new policies are required and how do these policies align with existing policies and objectives of the plan?

Key Challenges in Drafting Core Strategies • Zoning options available in dealing with over provision of zoned lands; • Dealing with the remaining share of population for lower tier settlements and rural areas; • Presentation and acceptance of a Core Strategy to the members of Local Authorities; • ‘Top Down’ verses ‘Bottom up’ approach

Core Strategy Top down v bottom up • What information do you need to establish how an area/settlement is progressing? • What is your analysis of this evidence telling you about the area/settlement? • What do you currently have in terms of residential, commercial, industrial stock and what do you need over the next plan period? Evidence based planning will form the foundation for a Core Strategy

Key Challenges in Drafting Core Strategies (cont.) How can Core Strategies provide a sustainable & positive planning framework whilst not choking the housing market? • Presentation of Core Strategies is significantly important; • This applies to presentation of Core Strategy to Members & how it is presented and incorporated into a Development Plan A Core Strategy is not an end in itself. It should include a monitoring and implementation programme which will allow for monitoring, data gathering, analysis which then feeds into the next review.

Summary • Keep Core Strategies simple and concise (8-12 pages); • Do not over burden the document with heavy references to NSS and RPGs. The planning framework is set within the Act and the detail within the RPGs; • There is a need for a strong evidence base supporting the Core Strategy – What is your on the ground experience and evidence telling you? • Use the Bottom up approach. The RPGs set the population, housing and zoning requirements for development plans. The evidence base must be used to justify it. ‘A Core Strategy will be at the heart of a Development Plan. We must ensure that its arteries are healthy, well serviced and maintained to ensure its proper functioning’

Development Plans & Core Strategies Thank you for listening padraigmaguire@border.ie 0494362600

Development Plans & Core Strategies