Ministerial guidelines
Development Plans: Guidelines for Planning Authorities
How a council prepares its development plan: the core strategy, mandatory objectives, consultation and monitoring.
Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage · June 2022 · 136 pages
Ask this document
Answers come only from the text of Development Plans: Guidelines for Planning Authorities, each claim linked to its page. They are not advice; check the page itself.
Free, with a daily limit.
- Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities |6Purpose of the Development Plan | 1 Ministerial Planning Guidelines These guidelines, and all other statutory planning guidelines issued by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage under Section 28 of the Planning Act, are a material consideration in the development plan preparation process. In particular, these Development Plan Guidelines replace the previous 2007 Development Plan Guidelines. Planning authorities and An Bord Pleanála are required to have regard to guidelines issued under Section 28 of the Planning Act and are also required to apply any specific planning policy requirements (SPPRs) of guidelines, in carrying out their functions2. Accordingly, SPPRs take precedence over any conflicting policies and objectives of existing development plans. Core Strategy There have been frequent legislative amendments to the Part II, Section I of the Planning and Development Act. Of particular importance are the amendments made in 2010 that incorporated ‘core strategy’ requirements into the development plan process, to strengthen the overall development framework. The principal purpose of this amendment was to ensure plan coherence and consistency in relation to national and regional policy. The core strategy preparation is now a key determining factor in the development plan preparation process. The coherence of the plan core strategy is indicative of the overall quality and robustness of the plan and is addressed in detail in Chapter 4 of these Guidelines. Mandatory Objectives The requirements of the Planning Act with regard to the content of development plans are set out in Section 10(1), specifying that the development plan shall consist of a written statement and a plan or plans indicating the development objectives for the area in question. There are certain objectives that are mandatory in nature and must be included in the development plan. These mandatory objectives are concerned with the zoning of land, urban renewal, the provision of amenities, infrastructural services provision and climate change amongst others, as well as heritage, architectural and environmental protection. They are set out in Section 10(2)(a-p) of the Planning Act and are addressed in detail in subsequent chapters of these Guidelines. EU Directives While spatial planning policy and legislation remains a national competence for each EU member state, there are a range of EU Directives that must be considered when formulating planning and land-use policies through the development plan preparation process. EU Directives are normally translated into Irish law by means of statutory regulation, which set out any particular obligations on the planning system, including requirements to be integrated into the development plan. EU Directives that relate to development plan considerations include: • Major Accidents (‘Seveso’) Directive 2012/18/EC • Floods Directive 2007/60/EC • Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC • Water Framework Directive 2000/60/EC • Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive 91/271/EEC • Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive 2001/42/EC Many of the requirements of these Directives are incorporated into the mandatory objectives to be included in the development plan under Section 10 of the Act. However, it is the responsibility of planning authorities to ensure that the appropriate planning and land-use-related aspects of these Directives that interact with the development plan system are properly reflected in the plan preparation processes. 2 S.28(1)(c) of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended)
- | Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | Purpose of the Development Plan71 Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Further to Directive 2001/42/EC on Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), an SEA is mandatory for plans that are prepared for ‘town & country planning’ and which set the framework for future development consent of projects listed in the EIA Directive. The mandatory requirement for SEA of specific development plans is stated in the Planning and Development (Strategic Environmental Assessment) Regulations 2004 (S.I. No 436 of 2004), as amended. There is an important obligation on the planning authority, as the ‘competent authority’ in preparing the development plan, to carry out an environmental assessment of the likely significant effects on the environment of implementing the plan. An ‘Environmental Report’, which describes the likely significant effects on the environment as a result of the implementation of the development plan, must be made available alongside the draft development plan during the period of public consultation. After the development plan is adopted, an ‘SEA Statement’ must be published which includes a description of how the SEA has informed the adopted version. The SEA process is one that parallels and informs the development plan preparation process and is an important tool in policy formulation. In this regard it is important that environmental considerations are integrated into the development plan preparation process from the early stages3. Habitats Directive Appropriate Assessment (AA) Planning authorities have obligations under the Habitats Directive4 and the undertaking of Appropriate Assessment as part of the development plan process, including the publication of the Natura Impact Report in tandem with the draft development plan.5 The earliest stages of preparing a development plan must include consideration as to whether a full AA is required (referred to as ‘AA Screening’) and require a determination as to whether there is a likelihood of significant effects on ‘European Sites6’. Development plans that are deemed to pose such a likelihood of significant effects on European sites are required to undergo an AA. The results of the AA are published in a Natura Impact Report which must be made available alongside the draft development plan during the period of public consultation. Prior to the plan being adopted, a determination must be made by the planning authority that the development plan will not result in any adverse effects on the integrity of any European site, either on its own or in combination with other plans and projects. Planning authorities will also need to undertake appropriate exercises as part of their plan preparation process to fulfil their obligations under the Floods Directive and the Water Framework Directive. Differentiation between the Development Plan and other Statutory Codes The statutory elements and remit of the development plan are set out clearly in the Planning Act. In preparing the development plan, planning authorities must exercise caution not to inappropriately seek to address the operation of other statutory codes and regulatory regimes that relate to the development sector, but are outside the legislative remit of a development plan. Objectives dealing with specific issues that are governed by other legislative codes, for example, the Building Regulations or the Building Control Acts, should not be framed as mandatory or statutory objectives in development plans. Discretionary objectives that may be included in development plans are described in the First Schedule of the Planning Act. Role of the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 is the legislative basis for the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR - ‘the Office’) to evaluate and assess the development plans, including draft development plans and variations to development plans, during their preparation and making, in order to provide observations and recommendations to planning authorities on those plans. The legislation also makes provision for the OPR to inform the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government where, in the opinion of the Office, a plan is not consistent with its observations and recommendations, especially where, it is the opinion of the Office that this would affect the overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area concerned. 3 S.28 Planning Guidelines issued by the Minister on Strategic Environmental Assessment provide guidance to planning authorities in carrying out the SEA procedures in tandem with the development plan process. 4 As implemented by Part XAB of the Planning and Development Act, 2000, as amended. 5 Appropriate Assessment of Plans and Projects in Ireland, Guidance for Planning Authorities, DEHLG, 2009. 6 Sites designated under the EU Birds and/or Habitats Directives, as defined in the Planning and Development Act, 2000, as amended.
- Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities |8Purpose of the Development Plan | 1 1.5 The Development Plan and Investment The development plan is now at the heart of a plan-led system whereby public capital investment programmes and priorities are aligned to support the adopted development strategy. This principle has been established through Project Ireland 2040 comprising both the National Planning Framework (NPF) as the State’s national spatial development strategy and the National Development Plan (NDP) as the capital investment programme to support delivery at all levels of the planning hierarchy. By ensuring good policy alignment with EU, national and regional policy and the UN SDGs, the development plan can drive investment that is targeted towards identified priorities and leverage funding and partnership opportunities at a local level. This alignment of spatial planning and capital investment is intended to ensure a coordinated approach to investment in public infrastructure in a way that ties in with national and local spatial priorities. The development plan must therefore reflect and respond to programmed significant national infrastructural investment by the State. For example, making provision for appropriate new development along a new transport corridor like an urban metro or a rural greenway. In tandem, the development plan should seek to influence infrastructural investment to support a well devised and coherent core strategy element such as an identified regeneration or enterprise area with capacity for significant future development. Planning authorities should approach the development plan with a clear focus on the delivery of expected development outcomes. Achieving desired outcomes will, in part, be determined by the programmed investment decisions of both the public and private sectors and this needs balanced consideration in the development plan process. For example, seeking to prioritise development at a location where there is an obvious deficit in services and/or infrastructure and without a clear commitment and timescale for resolution is unlikely to be appropriate. Spatial development priorities need to be realistically set out in the development plan and supported by a transparent evidence base. This approach however, does not exclude strategies to prioritise sustainable development that requires new investment to ensure delivery. The development plan should seek to facilitate sustainable development objectives. For example, a residential or employment site that requires enabling water services or road infrastructure, located centrally within a settlement or adjoining a public transport node, thus supporting compact growth, sustainable transport and regeneration planning objectives, would be appropriate to prioritise for both planning and investment purposes. 1.6 Planning from an Evidence Base and Monitoring the Outcomes An approach that emphasises establishing a clear evidence base at the outset of the plan-making exercise is paramount – this must set out a robust and consistent process for a development plan that consists of: 1) A clear and transparent analysis of an existing baseline of plan-related information with a focus on an examination of the effectiveness of previous plans in achieving their stated objectives, including analysis of environmental monitoring data required under the SEA Directive; 2) The identification of strategic policy choices for the plan, followed by their consideration and the subsequent policy decisions; 3) The provision of defined indicators in the plan with an on-going programme of monitoring to measure the outcomes of the plan against its stated objectives. In this way, the development plan and its implementation can be seen as a more dynamic and responsive process, whereby desired outcomes are a brought into sharp focus and progress towards their achievement can be properly examined and reported on in a manner that serves to inform future spatial decision-making. This approach is underpinned by statutory requirements set out in Section 15 of the Planning Act, which state that “It shall be the duty of a planning authority to take such steps within its powers as may be necessary for securing the objectives of the development plan”. This Section of the legislation also includes an obligation on the Chief Executive of the planning authority, to report to the members of the authority on the progress achieved in securing the objectives of the development plan.
- | Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | Purpose of the Development Plan91 1.7 Guiding Principles for Quality in Plan-making While an individual county or city development plan will include development policy and objectives to reflect the particular local authority area, the following ten principles should be integrated into the plan-making process to improve the overall quality of the plan:- 1 A VISION FOR THE AREA For a development plan to be effectively implemented, it needs strong and purposeful engagement with the elected members of the local authority and also with diverse public and sectoral interests, from the outset of the plan preparation process, to ensure the quality, relevance and robustness of the plan. 2 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT The development plan has a relationship with many complex policy areas such as housing, climate change, employment and enterprise, transport, water services, social infrastructure, conservation, heritage and environmental protection. The national and regional policy context must also be assimilated into the local spatial planning framework in a strategic and balanced manner. In seeking to address local considerations, the plan must formulate policy to achieve objectives without fundamentally departing from wider strategic public policy goals. 3 A STRATEGIC, BALANCED APPROACH The development plan process must play a significant role in reducing Ireland’s carbon footprint, through the creation of less energy and travel-intensive patterns of development, facilitation of energy generation from low carbon sources and the adaptation of communities to the effects of climate change. 4 SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE Projected economic and population growth trends must be supported by significant new infrastructural development across all sectors. The development plan can ensure new development is spatially structured to achieve a high standard of benefit to citizens, quality in design and an enhanced sense of place, all of which are key to attracting talent and investment. 5 STRUCTURED MANAGEMENT OF CHANGE The development plan must focus on regeneration in order to achieve more vibrant and sustainable urban and rural communities. As well as identifying opportunities for development that can give new purpose and function to existing places, sites and buildings, there is a need to address the evolving needs of communities, in response demographic change and digitalisation, but also to address the legacies of rapid overdevelopment in some instances, or decline or relative deprivation in others. 6 RENEWAL: REGENERATING EXISTING COMMUNITIES AND PLACES The development plan must safeguard cherished and valued assets in the built and natural environment by setting out clear policies that are widely understood by all, and provide for their long-term protection, rehabilitation where necessary and sustainable use, where appropriate. This requires co-ordination with other development objectives, such as compact growth and urban or rural regeneration, incorporating sufficient flexibility to enable consideration of development proposals with an overall sustainable outcome. 7 PROTECTION: ENVIRONMENTAL AND HERITAGE ASSETS For planned development objectives to be realised, they need to be supported through public capital investment in infrastructure and services. The development plan is the key spatial framework in which local authority spatial development and investment priorities are identified and aligned. 8 ALIGNMENT OF PLACE AND INVESTMENT Plan objectives must be actively pursued by the local authority through all of its functions and resources, with a dedicated, permanent system of plan monitoring established to measure progress. This means that development plan policies and objectives must be measurable, with information on progress and outcomes available to inform subsequent plans. 9 DELIVERY AND MONITORING The development plan written statement must be in plain English (and Gaeilge equivalent), and focus on planning matters relevant to the area of the plan that can principally be addressed within the six-year duration of the plan. The Plan should seek to focus and prioritise policies and objectives and be as concise as possible - There is no requirement to extensively reiterate national, regional and local policy, legislation or guidance documentation - background studies and reports, may be appended separately. 10 CLARITY AND FOCUS The development plan affords an opportunity to strategically consider the economic, social and environmental context of the area and to formulate policy objectives for future growth, renewal and protection. At the heart of a development plan should be a concise and accessible core strategy to achieve quality planning outcomes and which enjoys broad community support.
No text on this page — it is probably a drawing, a map, a photograph or a scanned page. See it in the PDF.
- | Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | Plan Preparation 11 2 2. Plan Preparation 2.1 The Production of a Development Plan The importance of the development plan and the influence it brings to bear on the work of the local authority as well as its significance for the communities to which it relates, must be reflected in the approach to the review process. Highlighting the relevance to the whole community and securing local support for the development plan are important goals of plan preparation. Ensuring the engagement of the elected members of the planning authority and the wider public can be achieved through effective stakeholder engagement via a variety of communication and participation mechanisms. Elected members of the planning authority in their role as decision-makers at each stage of the plan review process, and the executive staff of the local authority in their plan preparation role, must work collaboratively to produce a quality plan that can most effectively support the delivery of desired outcomes for citizens. Undertaking the production of a statutory development plan is a critical responsibility for all planning authorities and involves the allocation of significant resources and organisational commitment. The relevant provisions of the Planning Act provide a framework for making a development plan and this chapter provides guidance for completing the key stages of the plan preparation process. 2.1.1. Stewardship of the Review Process The preparation of a new development plan is known as a ‘review’ process. This is because all local authorities have a development plan in place that must normally be reviewed every six years. The review process is required to formally commence no later than four years after adoption of the previous development plan and must normally be completed within two years thereafter. There are legislative provisions that allow for such longer periods as appropriate in certain circumstances. This is addressed in Section 12(14) of the Planning Act. Throughout the two-year review period, the executive of the council is tasked with the management of the entirety of the new development plan preparation and consultation process. With the range of associated work streams, reporting duties, consultation events and compliance checks in an increasingly complex legislative context, the role of the executive is multifaceted when reviewing a development plan. This serves to highlight the importance of adopting an ‘All of Council’ approach and the value of project management to deliver the new plan. 2.2 The Development Plan Team Delivering a successful plan review will require the planning authority to adopt a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach from the outset. The level of data collection and analysis before, during and after the plan process should be supported by a permanent plan preparation and review/policy function within the local authority planning team, to collect and maintain key datasets for the purpose of plan-making, plan monitoring and plan review. The review process will encompass many technical areas of work including a Housing Strategy, reviewing the Record of Protected Structures and all environmental assessments, where required. All of the complex tasks related to the review process must be accomplished within statutory timeframes. It is essential, therefore, to establish a robust project management structure. It will be necessary to devise a broad timetable for the entire review programme that will encompass both the preparatory phase and statutory deadlines within the process. The overall timetable can then be sub-divided into a series of discrete tasks (data collection and analysis, public and external agency consultation, preparation of the draft text and maps etc.), each with their own timeframes. The development plan team will need to reflect the range of skills and expertise required to deliver a successful plan review, which aside from generating technical material, will also require a range of enabling tasks, such as the procurement of services, communications and media, as well as corporate support to assist in enabling the elected members interact with the process at every stage.
- Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | 12 Plan Preparation | 2 Approximately one year ahead of the plan review commencing, a dedicated project manager, typically a Director of Services or the relevant Senior Planner, should be appointed to lead the development plan review. The position of the Project Manager should be such that they are empowered to allocate the necessary staff and other resources within the local authority to report to the elected members and to the management team, to liaise effectively with other sections of the council and to lead engagement with external stakeholders. The core team should also have a range of relevant competencies and/or have staff resources from other sections of the local authority allocated, and/or external consultants (where considered necessary) procured, to lead and co-ordinate inputs, including expert inputs from key stakeholders, in order to meet the requirements of the review in relevant areas such as: • Conservation, heritage and/or landscape; • Housing Strategy, including overall demand/supply and tenure; • Climate adaptation and mitigation, which may include renewable energy; • Enterprise and employment, including tourism; • Retail, including non-city/town centre formats and the impacts of digitalisation; • Community facilities and amenities, which includes leisure and recreation; • City/town centre regeneration and urban design; • Roads and transportation, which must include sustainable travel; • Drainage and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA); • Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA); • Appropriate Assessment (Habitats Directive) (AA); • Water Framework Directive Assessment (WFDA) ; • Any other specialist technical assessments that may be required on an individual local authority basis, for example in relation to aviation, quarries, or ‘Seveso’ sites. Additional Skills and Expert Inputs In addition to the Project Manager, the core development plan team should comprise at a minimum: • At least one wholly dedicated Senior/Senior Executive Planner; • A sufficient number of other professional planners with a range of planning policy and development management experience; • A dedicated GIS/Data/Analytics Resource; • An administrative lead and associated team. Core Development Plan Team Capacity in respect of some of the above may be available within the development plan team or the wider planning section. In many other cases, inputs will be co-ordinated or provided by colleagues from the relevant section of the local authority. In all cases, resources and responsibility should be identified and agreed at the outset of the plan review process, within the planning department and at local authority management team level. Where the necessary resource capacity or required skills are not available within the local authority, the use of consultants may be appropriate, although secondment or shared service arrangements may also be considered and are encouraged. 2.2.1 Cross-Authority Group In addition to the core development plan team, an overall multidisciplinary team should be formed from senior officials from the various departments/sections of the local authority, for example housing, community, transport, environment and the Local Enterprise Office (LEO), to reflect the areas of responsibility detailed above. By assembling this collective expertise, the plan review process will benefit from a range of experience and knowledge as well as provide a forum for coordinated strategy development in response to issues and challenges that arise during the review process. There is also scope for the Cross-Authority Group to form part of or align with the wider Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Steering Group for the purposes of SEA and Appropriate Assessment (AA). The administrative oversight of the development plan review is critical, as every aspect of the process and the content of the material being produced by the planning authority is subject to prescribed legislative requirements and timelines, decision making in a political forum and wider public scrutiny, with several opportunities for submissions to be made. Sufficient administrative capacity throughout the process, that is aligned and integrated with the technical team, is required to co-ordinate the range of interactions, inputs and outputs described above.
- | Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | Plan Preparation 13 2 2.3 The Role of Elected Members Each key stage of the plan review process is ratified by the elected members who, in their role as planning authority, have the primary statutory responsibility to make the development plan under Section 12 of the Planning Act. In this role, the members are central to the process, as both policy-makers and as decision-makers. The range and detail of the material presented to councillors for their consideration can be highly technical and complex. All policy and decision-making must relate to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area to which the plan relates, and also the statutory obligations of any local authority and any relevant policies or objectives of the Government. Coupled with the role of representing the often diverse views of local communities, all of this makes the review process a challenging task. It is therefore incumbent on the development plan team and the local authority executive, to ensure that clear information and regular updates are provided for councillors. Ongoing liaison and briefing is required at key stages of the process in order to support the central policy-making role of the elected members. Plan documentation must be supplied in a timely manner and in an easily digestible, user-friendly format. In the same manner in which a cross-authority group is recommended at official level, a local authority development plan sub-committee may also be facilitated. The purpose of such a committee would be as an interface between the elected members, the council executive and development plan team. It would need to include representation from of all council political groupings and sub-areas, with a mandate from and clear lines of communication and dissemination to all elected members, in order to operate effectively. Broader engagement with the elected members is required and will need to be planned and scheduled. This should utilise a combination of fora, including specific development plan plenary or area meetings, updates to regular scheduled meetings and more specific briefings, especially on specialist topics. Strategic Policy Committees (SPCs) of the council may also prove useful, particularly in contributing to relevant sectoral issues which may have already been discussed and considered by the SPCs, outside of the plan review term. Elected members are responsible for making, reviewing, and varying the development plan. It is their duty to adopt the plan with the technical help of their officials. Sufficient time should be allocated to provide advice and training for elected members in their roles and responsibilities as part of the statutory plan making process. CASE STUDY : OPR Elected Members Training Programme In recognition of the fact that approximately one third of councillors were newly elected following the local elections in 2019, and would be engaged in important policy making in reviews of county and city development plans, a programme of specifically tailored planning training was commenced. Moving online in 2020, due to COVID-19 restrictions, virtual training events were delivered throughout 2020 and 2021. The programme aimed to ensure that those who make and implement planning policy are fully informed so that the important decisions they make are based on the best evidence and latest information. All of the presentations, recordings and briefing documents from the training events are available on the OPRs website at www.opr.ie/elected-memberstraining. The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) the State’s planning oversight body, in conjunction with the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG) initiated the first multi-annual national planning training programme for the 949 local councillors across 31 local authorities on the role and responsibilities of democratically elected members. Source: Office of the Planning Regulator
- Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | 14 Plan Preparation | 2 Role of elected members at key stages in the plan process Specific plenary (or at the initial two stages only, area) meetings must be arranged at the following six stages. Additional briefings/workshops or updates to regular scheduled council meetings on a plenary or area basis may also assist the process: Stage Forum 1. Initial consultation and engagement with elected members This is an opportunity for discussion of Working Papers and the Baseline Report, and to identify particular issues or policy areas for consideration by in the ‘Issues and Options’ Paper Preliminary (before review commences) Plenary and/ or area meetings 2. Presentation of Working Papers and the Baseline Report This is an opportunity for elected members and local authority staff from each department to consider the ‘Issues and Options Paper’ prior to finalisation. Preliminary (before initial consultation) Workshop, or similar format 3. Issuing of directions by elected members to the Chief Executive regarding the preparation of the draft development plan (Section 11(4)(d) of the Planning Act). Only directions that are appropriate to this stage of the process should be considered valid. It is recommended that the development plan team would be available to provide assistance to members in formulating the wording of directions to ensure they are: • strategic in nature; • consistent with the draft core strategy; • take into account the statutory obligations of the local authority and any relevant policies or objectives of the Government or of any Minister of the Government. The Chief Executive is obliged to comply with these directions, where valid. Pre-Draft (after initial consultation) Plenary 4. Consideration of the initial draft development plan as prepared by the Chief Executive (Section 11(5)(b)) and amendments to the draft plan (Section 11(5)(c) of the Planning Act). This is a critical opportunity for elected members to contribute to the content of the draft development plan. It is also the first time that land zonings may be considered in the process. Proposed amendments to the Chief Executive’s initial draft plan may be made by way of motions submitted by councillors. Pre-Draft (before consultation on draft) Typically, a series of dedicated development plan plenary council meetings 5. Consideration of the Report of the Chief Executive on submissions received further to public display of the draft development plan (Section 12(5)) and associated environmental assessment documentation and the making of Material Amendments to the draft plan (Section 12(6)). This is the opportunity to make changes related to submissions made on the draft plan, which will be set out in the Chief Executive’s Report and will include recommendations whether to include, or include subject to modifications, or not include, the content of the submissions. Draft Typically, a series of dedicated development plan plenary council meetings. 6. Consideration of the Report of the Chief Executive on submissions received on the material alterations to the draft development plan (Section. 12(9)). This is similar to the above stage of the process, but any further modifications must be minor in nature, and may not affect a European site, increase a land zoning or add/delete a protected structure. Irrespective of whether there are, or there are not modifications at this stage, this is the point at which the council may decide to adopt, or ‘make’, the development plan. Material Alterations Plenary
- | Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities | Plan Preparation 15 2 2.4 Purposeful Public Consultation The way in which information is exchanged and communicated has changed substantially since the Planning Act was introduced and continues to change7. While the provisions of the legislation relating to notifications during each stage of the development plan preparation process focus on newspaper notices and written correspondence, it is clear that modern digital methods of communication also need to be embedded into the review process. For many reasons, it can be a challenge at various stages of the plan review process to engage the public, but it is critical that broad public participation is targeted to the greatest possible extent, as all parts of the local authority’s administrative area and all citizens will be covered by the new development plan. With up to three public consultation stages in the plan review process at pre-draft, draft and material amendments stages, the public consultation sessions will differ in length, nature and purpose at each stage. Well-considered and presented consultation material is essential to generate interest and engagement. The success of public engagement should not be measured by the number of submissions received, particularly as a consultation phase can often be dominated by a single issue that generates significant public interest. While the pre-draft consultation phase offers the opportunity for debate and discussion of big-picture, strategic themes, it is important to inform people of the wider context in which the development plan sits. National and regional plans, strategies and policies will, to some degree, exert an influence on the direction that development plan policy will take and it is an important part of the review process, particularly at pre-draft stage, to make this as clear as possible and to manage expectations around what a development plan can deliver. • It is recommended that planning authorities explore innovative and creative ways of engaging with sectors of society who may not readily participate in the planning process. This includes children and younger people, particularly in light of the requirement that specifically entitles children, or groups or associations representing the interests of children, to make submissions or observations on plans. Working with libraries, Comhairle na nÓg or a representative sample of schools in an area may provide a useful pathway for engagement. • The Public Participation Network (PPN) of the local authority is also a key resource in identifying stakeholders and groups who may have particular sectoral or thematic interests in the plan-making process. The development plan team should engage with the Community and Voluntary Forum within the local authority to consider what range of established networks can be readily accessed to consult with the public and to facilitate ongoing engagement and feedback to those who have already engaged in a planning process. At the outset of the plan review it would be of benefit to inform those who have made submissions in respect of recent planning processes during the life of the plan that is now subject to review, subject to GDPR. • Given the importance of social media, it is necessary to employ and manage Social Media to share information and updates on the plan review. 7 The Planning and Development, and Residential Tenancies Act, 2020 provides for a public or online meeting to be held at the initial strategic consultation stage Source: Dublin City Comhairle na nÓg
Source Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Development Plans: Guidelines for Planning Authorities (June 2022) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.