Planning and Development Act 2024
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Content of regional spatial and economic strategy | ||
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29. (1) A regional spatial and economic strategy shall make provision for the following matters: | ||
(a) the identification of sustainable settlement patterns and transportation strategies in urban and rural areas; | ||
(b) the strategic location of employment-related development and industrial and commercial development; | ||
(c) a strategy relating to retail matters, including consideration of the location of retail development; | ||
(d) the location of housing, including provision to meet any national and regional population growth targets set out in the National Planning Framework as between the functional areas of the planning authorities in the region and the relevant population and housing targets to be included in the housing development strategy of each planning authority; | ||
(e) a strategy relating to onshore renewable energy to— | ||
(i) meet national targets, | ||
(ii) identify and facilitate electricity grid infrastructure, including upgrade projects and support infrastructure, | ||
(iii) make provision for energy security, and | ||
(iv) promote steps for coordination and cooperation between public bodies; | ||
(f) a strategy relating to climate change adaptation and mitigation that is consistent with national policies and measures, including those prepared pursuant to the Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Act 2015 , which provides for the coordination of public bodies in pursuance of the strategy; | ||
(g) a strategy relating to marine and coastal matters that facilitates the coordination of land-sea interactions for coastal planning authorities within the region; | ||
(h) coastal zone management as a consequence of sea level change, including the identification of strategic infrastructure; | ||
(i) the provision of transportation (including public transportation), water services, energy and communications networks and waste management facilities; | ||
(j) the identification of facilities relating to third level education, healthcare and sports of such scale as would serve the region; | ||
(k) the preservation and protection of the environment and its amenities, including integration of the National Biodiversity Action Plan and the archaeological, architectural and natural heritage of the region; | ||
(l) as appropriate, the protection of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Gaeltacht; | ||
(m) a strategy relating to landscape and landscape character that coordinates the categorisation of landscapes, in terms of their capacity to absorb particular types of development, across the region so as to ensure a consistent approach to the protection of the landscape; | ||
(n) a strategy relating to economic matters that— | ||
(i) identifies regional strengths and opportunities having regard to economic and employment trends, | ||
(ii) identifies the regional attributes that are essential to enhancing regional economic performance, including the quality of the environment, cities, towns and rural areas, the physical infrastructure, and the social, community and cultural facilities, | ||
(iii) sets out proposals to maintain or augment the attributes referred to in subparagraph (ii) in such manner as will be implemented under the strategy through the activities of public bodies, private sector investment and the community, and | ||
(iv) identifies the means of maintaining and augmenting overall regional economic performance in accordance with national economic policy; | ||
(o) a flooding and flood management plan for the region; | ||
(p) a statement of the actions being taken (or proposed) for the purpose of ensuring the effective integration of transport and land-use planning, including in particular— | ||
(i) a statement explaining how the regional spatial and economic strategy proposes to make provision in relation to the matters identified in— | ||
(I) any relevant transport strategy of the National Transport Authority, | ||
(II) the report of the National Transport Authority prepared in accordance with subsection (11) of section 31 , and | ||
(III) the observations of the National Transport Authority submitted in accordance with subsection (10) of section 32 , | ||
and | ||
(ii) where it is not proposed that the regional spatial and economic strategy should make provision in relation to any matter identified in the strategy, report or observations referred to in subparagraph (i), a statement of the reasons for that decision; | ||
(q) a statement confirming that the regional spatial and economic strategy is materially consistent with— | ||
(i) the National Planning Framework, | ||
(ii) the National Marine Planning Framework, and | ||
(iii) any relevant National Planning Policies and Measures; | ||
(r) a statement demonstrating how due account has been taken, in the regional spatial and economic strategy, of any relevant National Planning Policy Guidance and, where the strategy departs from any relevant National Planning Policy Guidance, a statement of the reasons why, in the opinion of the regional assembly, such departure is justified having regard to the proper planning and sustainable development of the region. | ||
(2) Where a city specified in subsection (3) is within the region to which a regional spatial and economic strategy relates, the regional spatial and economic strategy shall include an integrated land-use and transportation strategy for the metropolitan area (in this Part referred to as a “metropolitan area strategic plan”), which shall be consistent with the regional spatial and economic strategy concerned. | ||
(3) The cities referred to in subsection (2) are: | ||
(a) Dublin; | ||
(b) Cork; | ||
(c) Limerick; | ||
(d) Galway; | ||
(e) Waterford; | ||
(f) such other city as may be prescribed. | ||
(4) Where a part of the metropolitan area of any city is located within a region to which a regional spatial and economic strategy relates notwithstanding that the city or the centre of the city concerned is located outside that region or outside the State, the regional spatial and economic strategy may include a metropolitan area strategic plan in respect of that part of the metropolitan area, which shall be consistent with the regional spatial and economic strategy concerned. | ||
(5) For the purposes of subsections (2) and (4), the “metropolitan area” of a city means the area consisting of the city and its surrounding area approximating to the extent of its commuting zone. | ||
(6) A regional spatial and economic strategy may include objectives for the development of a specific part of the region which is designated as a strategic planning area (within the meaning of the Local Government Act 1991 (Regional Assemblies) (Establishment) Order 2014 ( S.I. No. 573 of 2014 )). | ||
(7) Where a regional spatial and economic strategy includes objectives under subsection (6), the objectives shall be consistent with the other provisions of the regional spatial and economic strategy concerned. | ||
(8) A regional spatial and economic strategy shall identify and designate any key town in the region. | ||
(9) For the purposes of subsection (8) a key town is a large, economically active settlement that provides employment and services for its surrounding area and has the capacity to complement a regional growth centre. | ||
(10) Where the conditions in subsection (11) apply in relation to a settlement or a part of the urban area of a settlement, a regional spatial and economic strategy shall include provision— | ||
(a) identifying the settlement or the part of the urban area of a settlement, | ||
(b) requiring the preparation of a coordinated area plan for the settlement or the part of the urban area of a settlement identified in paragraph (a), | ||
(c) designating, in accordance with subsection (12), a planning authority to be the principal planning authority for the purposes of Chapter 6, | ||
(d) designating any other planning authority in whose functional area the settlement or the part of the urban area concerned is situate to be an associate planning authority for the purposes of Chapter 6, | ||
(e) specifying the number of members from each planning authority referred to in paragraphs (c) and (d) to be appointed under subsection (3) of section 73 to the coordinated area plan committee, | ||
(f) identifying any planned population growth and associated housing development needs in the settlement or part of the urban area of a settlement in respect of which a coordinated area plan is to be made, | ||
(g) identifying the amount of land required to accommodate the housing development needs referred to in paragraph (f), | ||
(h) identifying the amount of land required as between the principal planning authority and the associate planning authority, taking account of the proper planning and sustainable development of the settlement or the part of the urban area of a settlement concerned, including, in particular, the achievement of compact urban development, and | ||
(i) specifying directions in relation to the appointment of a coordinated area plan committee, in accordance with the requirements of section 73 . | ||
(11) The conditions referred to in subsection (10) are that— | ||
(a) the settlement, or the part of the urban area of a settlement, is within the functional area of more than one planning authority, and | ||
(b) the regional assembly considers that the growth of the settlement, or the part of the urban area of a settlement, concerned is important to the population growth or employment growth of one or more of the relevant functional areas during the period to which any development plan applicable to any such relevant functional area relates. | ||
(12) In determining which planning authority is to be designated as the principal planning authority, a regional assembly shall take account of— | ||
(a) where relevant, the location of the town centre of the settlement or the part of the urban area of a settlement, | ||
(b) the extent to which the settlement or the part of the urban area of a settlement is located within the respective functional areas of the planning authorities concerned, and | ||
(c) the amount of population growth or employment growth allocated by the regional assembly to the respective functional areas of the planning authorities concerned. | ||
(13) A regional spatial and economic strategy and a metropolitan area strategic plan within such a strategy shall include measures to secure the effective implementation and monitoring of the regional spatial and economic strategy and metropolitan area strategic plan, including— | ||
(a) an indication of priorities for infrastructure of scale relating to transportation (including public transportation), water services, waste management, energy and communications networks and the provision of educational, healthcare, retail, cultural and recreational facilities, | ||
(b) without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (a), an order of priority for infrastructure provision, | ||
(c) potential sources of funding for infrastructure, | ||
(d) cross-sectoral investment and actions required to deliver planned growth and development, | ||
(e) coordination between constituent local authorities, and the cooperation of public bodies, and | ||
(f) the monitoring and reporting arrangements required to measure and evaluate progress in implementing the regional spatial and economic strategy and metropolitan area strategic plan. |