Ireland 2040 – Our Plan

National Planning Framework (NPF)

Arts Council Conference 12th January 2016

Department of Housing, Planning, Community

and Local Government

Introduction

The National Planning Framework

(NPF) will be the successor to the

2002 National Spatial Strategy (NSS)

Horizon: 2040 - concise High-level,

strategic document

Co-ordination - spatial aspect of Co-ordination - spatial aspect of

Government policy

Developed in parallel with 3x Regional

Spatial and Economic Strategies by the

new Regional Assemblies

NPF+RSES - strong basis for more

joined-up policies and therefore more

effective planning, investment and

decision-making

NationalNational

NPF

Regional

Spatial and Economic Strategy

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Planning Policy Hierarchy, Ireland 2016

Local Area Plans/

Area Based Local Development

Local Economic and

Community Plans

City and County

Development PlansStr

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Opportunity & Challenges

� What should Ireland look like by 2040 bearing in mind that over the next 20+ years we must plan for up to 1m extra people, min +0.5m extra homes and over 2.2m jobs?

� Current trends – location of employment is concentrating yet housing dispersing, population ageing, challenges public infrastructure and service delivery, ensuring quality of life and international environmental quality objectives (zero-carbon by 2050)

� NPF essential to ensure sustainable development as highlighted in Programme for Government, Action Plan for Housing, Planning Policy Statement

� To work, NPF must be backed by wider policy alignment of investment, planning, economic development and environmental strategies

� NPF to have statutory backing under Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 and must comply with EU Environmental Directives (Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitats)

Experience & Ambition

� NSS offers invaluable learning experience - expert advisory group

report 2014 recommended a more strategic approach and dealing

with “hard choices”

� Prelim Census 2016 – growth happening outside our key cities and

towns, tendency towards increasing urban vacancy & for

development, rather than plan-led infrastructure provision i.e. sprawl

outside cities and townsoutside cities and towns

� NPF must be different:

� Whole of Oireachtas and rolling Government buy-in

� Harness each region’s differing potential and avoiding ‘winners’

and ‘losers’ while also not treating all regions or settlements in

the same way

� Ireland 2040/NPF must, through an evidence-base, establish a place-

making vision that people will understand as a “plan” that is realistic,

responsive to their needs and adaptable over time

Project

Governance1) 2) Communication

& Consultation

Key Areas of NPF Work Programme

3) 4) Environmental

Assessment

Framework

Development

Governance and Oversight

NPF Cross Departmental

Steering GroupNPF Advisory Group

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ns Minister for Housing,

Planning, Community and

Local Government

Government

Oireachtas

NPF Advisory Group

NPF Team

Working Groups

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Demographic and

Econometric Group

Environmental

Group

Regional Assemblies

Group

DHPCLG Working

Group

Additional working groups may be formed as the project progresses

Communication & Consultation

Initial High-Level Engagement (July)

Local Authorities and a range of other infrastructure, economy, society and

environmental stakeholders

Pre-Draft Consultation (Jan 2017)

National campaign, supported by website

and ‘issues and choices’ position paperand ‘issues and choices’ position paper

• Posing key questions, scenarios, options

• Local engagement and inputs

Draft NPF Consultation (Q2 2017)

To enable submissions on the Draft NPF prior

to final drafting and decision-making stages

10 Key Questions

1. What should Ireland look like in 20 years?

2. How do we ensure that every place can realise its potential?

3. Where will jobs be located and what kind of jobs will they be?

4. Where will we live and what types of housing will be needed?

5. What are the key services that people will need? 5. What are the key services that people will need?

6. Where will Ireland fit in a wider (geographical) context?

7. What are the planning responses to key environmental challenges?

8. What infrastructure is required – what are the national priorities?

9. How should a National Planning Framework be implemented?

10.What will success look like?

Framework Development Influences

Stakeholder and public ideas

Good examples from other

administrations (Scottish NPF

adopted by Scottish Parliament)

ESRI working with DHPCLG onESRI working with DHPCLG on

� Demographic and Econometric

modelling and projections

� Development and testing of

alternative scenarios

Expert environmental assessments

underway

AIRO (NUIM) spatial data/mapping

Environmental Assessment

Stage 1:

Screening SEA & AA

Scoping workshop

SEA Scoping Report

Key Stages and Outputs

Stage 2:

SEA Alternatives

SEA Env Report

AA Screening &/or NIS

Stage 3:

Final SEA Statement

Final NISSEA Scoping Report

Pre-draft SFRA

AA Screening &/or NIS

Draft SFRA

Management Plan

Final NIS

Final SFRA

Management Plan

Current Status:

Consultants (RPS) appointed to carry out the integration of environmental

considerations (SEA, AA & SFRA) into the NPF process

Strategic IssuesDo we follow ‘Business as Usual’ or Influence a new pattern?

1: Planning for People - Society and Quality of Life

2: A Place-Making Strategy• A Vision for our Capital, our Cities and Towns

• Key strengths and opportunities for our Regions

• A future for Rural Ireland

• Ireland in an All-Island Context• Ireland in an All-Island Context

• Realising opportunities for integrated land and marine

development

3: Equipping Ireland for Future Development – Infrastructure

4: Making a virtue out of Ireland’s unique environment -

sustainability

5: Implementation and Delivery – making sure NPF is driven

Policy Choices

� ‘Business as Usual’ undesirable - will not deliver competitiveness,

QoL, BRD, climate change objectives, cost to State;

� Previous success – investment/policy led, Inter-urban motorway

programme; Temple Bar/Dublin Docklands; Wild Atlantic Way

� Trends are telling us that a ‘New Direction’ is required - Policy and

Investment led;Investment led;

� Harnessing metropolitan/city element likely to be key, must also

address regional and rural potential;

� Currently seeking to identify and test alternatives to business as

usual;

� Will feed into Capital Plan review.

Project Timetable

� Currently finalising ‘Issues and Options’ paper and Communications

Strategy

� Pre-Draft Consultation – launch January 2017, submissions to end

Feb

� Draft NPF for further consultation – Q2 2017

� Final draft for approval – Possible Summer 2017

Contact Details

Paul Hogan, NPF Project Manager/Senior Planning

Adviser - paul.hogan@housing.gov.ie

Alma Walsh, Planning Adviser

alma.walsh@housing.gov.iealma.walsh@housing.gov.ie

Colm McCoy, Planning Adviser

colm.mccoy@housing.gov.ie

Website: npf@housing.gov.ie