Development plan · Longford County Council
Longford County Development Plan 2021–2027
The council's development plan written statement: its strategy, policies, objectives and development standards.
Longford County Council · 2021–2027 · 486 pages
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- 5.11 Transport, Infrastructure, Energy and Communications - Climate Context and Associated Actions In accordance with the format set out in Chapter 3: Climate Change of this Plan the following is an assessment of the content of this chapter in a climate context and associated actions. Transport Travel is a source of unwanted noise, emissions, and energy use, accounting for 42.2% of Ireland’s Total Final Energy Consumption in 2018, the largest take up of any sector35. When compared to Energy, Industry, Residential and Agriculture, Transport has also been the only sector that has not reduced its CO2 emissions since 1990, continuing to account for nearly 30% of Ireland’s total emissions – 72% of which coming from road transportation alone; with passenger cars accounting for 61% of same36. In line with Ireland’s National Mitigation Plan (NMP) 2017 on climate change and the NPF shared goals, by 2040 we need to have moved away from polluting and carbon intensive propulsion systems in favour of cleaner and quieter towns a cities, completely free from combustion engines. Separately, the Eastern & Midlands Regional Assembly (EMRA) Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) 2019 – 2031 has prioritised reducing the ‘need’ for travel over economically ‘efficient’ travel, reinforced by the Climate Action Plan 2019 (CAP) in its ambition to make growth less transport intensive through better planning, remote and home-working and modal shift to public transport. The CAP also aims to accelerate the take up of Electric Vehicle (EV) cars to meet a target of 950,000 EVs on the road by 2030, which will see approximately a third of all new vehicles sold within the next decade to be Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) or Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). Current Government proposals will see the banning of a new petrol and diesel cars by the same 2030 deadline under the Climate Action Amendment Bill 2019. Census 2016 data reveals that 68.25% of County Longford commuters travel to work by car, above the national average of 65.6%, and just 1.7% of work commuters availing of public transport compared to 9.3% nationally. Waste Waste is an inevitable part of our daily lives but the more we buy, the more waste we generate, so our priority is first to reduce, followed by reuse, and only then recycle. Recycling offers a way to keep useful resources working for use, while providing a safe and regulated systems for dealing with hazardous waste that could otherwise end up in landfill (DCCAE). The NPF acknowledges the necessity to provide adequate capacity and systems to manage waste in an environmentally safe and sustainable manner. Internationally 95% of the value of the material from plastic packaging for example, up to €120 billion a year, is lost after its first use, while textile production is said to contribute more to climate change than international aviation and shipping combined37. By 2030, the CAP 2019 has proposed a reduction in food waste by 50%, waste packaging by 70% and plastic packaging by 55%, along with a ban and elimination on single use and non-recyclable plastic. Each year, Irish households produce around one tonne of waste .38 Whether it is recycled or ends up in landfill, all that waste must be transported, treated and disposed. Through its ‘Climate Change Education for Sustainable Development’ (2010) programme UNESCO aims to make climate change education a more central and visible part of the international response to climate change, helping people better understand the impact of global warming and increasing ‘climate literacy’ among young people. Similarly, a Climate Change Charter signed on 29th October 2019 by Minister for the Department of 35 Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) (2019), ‘Energy in Ireland – 2019 Report’, December 2019. https://www.seai.ie/publications/Energy-in-Ireland-2019-.pdf 36 European Parliament (2019), ‘CO2 emissions from cars: facts and figures’, 22 March 2019. https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/headlines/society/20190313STO31218/co2-emissions-from-cars-facts-and-figuresinfographics 37 Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2016), ‘The New Plastics Economy – Rethinking the Future of Plastics’, World Economic Forum. https://www.newplasticseconomy.org/assets/doc/EllenMacArthurFoundation_TheNewPlasticsEconomy_Pages.pdf 38 Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment (2019), ‘Climate Action – what you can do about waste’, Publication, 17 June 2019. https://www.gov.ie/en/publication/climate-action-waste/ 171 County Development Plan 2021–2027
- Communications, Climate Action and Environment (DCCASE) and Minister of State, committed all local authorities to deliver upon effective climate action, including building local citizen engagement, particularly with the young, and partner and collaborate on climate action initiatives with local community groups, local enterprise and local school and higher-level institutions. Education plays and important role in tackling waste. A study conducted by the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) in 2018 of our commercial waste identified approximately 70% of material in the black bin could be diverted to recycling or composting, with plastic waste double to what it was ten years ago. Energy Today most of Ireland’s energy use comes from the burning of fossil fuels, like coal, oil and peat. To counteract this reliance the NPF proposes an aggregate reduction (since 1990) in carbon dioxide emissions of at least 80% by 2050 across electricity generation, built environmental and transport sectors. Ireland has excellent renewable energy resources including wind, bio-energy and solar. By 2020 Ireland has a commitment to generating a minimum of 16% of all energy from renewable resources (Renewable Energy Directive Ireland), having already achieved 22% in 2016 (Ireland 2050) from a base of 9.1% in 2015. This will include 40% from renewable electricity, 12% from renewable heat and 10% from renewable transport. A report prepared by Baringa commissioned by the Irish Wind Energy Association has claimed that renewable energy technologies like wind, solar, bioenergy and hydro alone can provide 70% of our electricity demand by 2030. This target can also be achieved in a way that is cost neutral to the electricity consumer while simultaneously reducing CO2 emissions by 30%. Wind energy is both Ireland’s largest and cheapest renewable electricity resource, third in the world in its usage behind Denmark and Uruguay. In 2018, wind provided 85% of Ireland’s renewable electricity and 30% of our total electricity demand, second only to natural gas39. Since 2010, solar PV has been the fastest growing power generation technology worldwide, however solar PV installed capacity in Ireland is amongst the lowest in Europe. One square metre of solar panels provides the same amount of hot water as the equivalent of more than 100 litres of oil and is effective even when the sky is overcast or cloudy (SEAI). Worldwide, the sun delivers more energy to earth in an hour that is used worldwide in a year. To capitalise on this effect, designing our homes and buildings to face south and capture as much light as possible can reduce our energy bills by more than 10%. Aside from Solar and Wind, Biomass and Hydroelectricity at 3.5% combined largely makes up the remainder of Ireland’s renewable energy supply40. Biomass by comparison to other forms of renewable energy is comparatively expensive, with a limited availability of indigenous biomass, high import costs and its inconvenience in comparison to other fuels, such as oil and gas. Although poorly developed, Tidal/Wave Energy potential in Ireland is enormous, calculated by the SEAI to be 29GW, and easily meeting Ireland’s peak electricity demands of above 5GW (Eirgrid). New energy systems and transmission grids will be necessary for a more distributed renewablesfocused energy generation system, harnessing both the considerable on-shore and off-shore potential from energy sources such as wind, wave and solar and connecting the richest sources of that energy to the major sources of demand. 39 Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (2020), ‘Wind Energy’. https://www.seai.ie/technologies/wind-energy/ 40 Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (2020), ‘’Electricity’ https://www.seai.ie/data-and-insights/seai-statistics/key-statistics/electricity/ 172Longford County Council
- A5.1 A5.2 A5.3 A5.4 A5.7 A5.5 A5.8 A5.6 A5.9 A5.10 A5.11 A5.12 A5.13 Transport, Infrastructure, Energy and Communications - Climate Actions Longford County Council shall: Require the installation of Electric Vehicle (EV) recharging points at all LCC public service locations, and the procurement of two no. EV vehicles for shared working use by its staff. Require all one-off housing to install a minimum of 1 no. Electric Vehicle (EV) home charger unit in accordance with current Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) recommendations. Require all multi-unit, residential developments to install 1 recharging point per 5 units, and ducting infrastructure for every parking space within the development boundary. Require all non-residential developments with more than 10 parking spaces to install 1 no. recharging point per 20 parking spaces, and ducting infrastructure for at least 1 in 5 parking spaces within its property boundary. Actively encourage and incentivise public and private carpooling / carsharing, assigning 10% of all public parking, and parking associated with future commercial and industrial applications, for its sole provision. Require all non-residential developments to provide a minimum of 4 no. bicycle parking spaces or one per user, whichever is the greater, within 50 metres from a building entrance. Each space shall be well lit, sheltered, with cycle racks fixed to a permanent structure. Prepare a feasibility study (to include route options) for a cycle route on approach and through each town within its functional area. Require the registration of all new taxi/hackney vehicles to be Electric Vehicles (EVs) on the provision of rapid, car recharging been made available at each taxi rank throughout the county. Prioritise the appointment of public transport service providers with the lowest, demonstrated CO2 emissions across their fleet. Require all future footpaths to be a minimum of 2 metres in width, space permitting. Require in accordance with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government’s ‘Best Practice Guidelines for the Preparation of Waste Management Plans for Construction and Demolition Protects (2006), the submission of a Construction and Demolition Waste Management Plan (CDWMP) for any project in excess of: ■ houses or more; ■ aggregate floor area in excess of 1250 sq.m; ■ demolition or refurbishment of 100 m3 of Construction of Demolition waste; or ■ civil engineering projects in excess of 500 m3 of waste. Require all future, primary, secondary and special school planning applications to be accompanied by evidence of Eco-Schools / Green-Schools Programme (Green Flag) registration and conditioned for its continued enrolment. Promote 23rd March every year as a climate change action day, internally and amongst the wider community through local media platforms. 173County Development Plan 2021–2027
- A5.14 A5.15 A5.16 A5.17 A5.18 A5.20 A5.19 A5.21 A5.22 Transport, Infrastructure, Energy and Communications - Climate Actions Longford County Council shall: Undertake annual monitoring and spot checks of existing refuse and segregation at all local authority owned and operated locations. Facilitate community participation and/or micro-generation of renewable power, as well as community gain arrangements, while encouraging the development of small scale, community owned wind farms. Convert all public streetlighting within the functional area to well designed and directed LED lights, with dimmable capabilities where preferable. Source all building electricity demands from a renewable resource only. Actively participate and achieve the targets as set out by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) Public Sector Energy Efficiency Strategy. Commission the feasibility study of Lanesborough becoming Ireland’s first, ‘Low Carbon Town’, with reference to the Regional Enterprise Plan (REP) 2020. Establish a program to prepare and publish a full Building Energy Rating (BER) inventory for all publicly owned social housing within its functional area, GDPR permitting. Ensure all relevant developments take account of the Seveso-III Directive (e.g. storage of hazardous chemicals) and reduce excessive energy consumption / CO2 production. Require the integration of a Building Management Systems (BMS) at its primary office locations for the benefit of reducing energy and maintenance costs. 174Longford County Council
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- 176 6.1 Introduction Regeneration is a cross cutting theme of the Development Plan which contains a physical, social and economic dimension, which in some cases may overlap. This Development Plan for the achievement of regeneration aims to tackle problems of population decline, lack of investment and physical dereliction in an integrated and cross cutting way, through several policy areas including integrated land use and socioeconomic measures to address the physical, economic, social and environmental problems associated with dereliction and decay. Measures to overcome substantive barriers to development such as new infrastructure provision, environmental enhancement and site assembly will be considered, along with the promotion of a multi-sector partnership approach involving the planning authority, other public agencies and business and community interests. Flexibility in the application of zoning and development management policies and standards, will be considered in order to ensure that regeneration is promoted rather than inhibited, while having due regard to the need to protect structures and areas of architectural merit, including through the identification of appropriate new uses for such buildings, and those located in Architectural Conservation Areas (ACAs). Remediation of contaminated lands will also be considered. In terms of funding support the Development Plan has identified and outlined a particular development strategy which can be formulated into more specific regeneration projects, and which encompass a number of elements aimed at enabling ‘compact growth’. These include specific investment in infrastructure to support development, site assembly, land acquisition, and sustainable transport initiatives, aimed at activating strategic sites that have been identified in the Development Plan. There are significant national and regional policy requirements, along with section 28 guidelines which relate to Regeneration. The Development Plan is underpinned by policies that are consistent with overarching relevant national and regional guidance and policies; the National Planning Framework (NPF) and the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES), which place a new policy emphasis on renewing and developing existing urban settlements. Entrance to the Barracks Longford Town 176Longford County Council
- 177 6.2 Statutory Context As per section 10(3)(h) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) there is a requirement to include mandatory objectives in relation to regeneration. This requires that a development plan shall include objectives for (h) the development and renewal of areas, identified having regard to the core strategy, that are in need of regeneration, in order to prevent – (i) adverse effects on existing amenities in such areas, in particular as a result of the ruinous or neglected condition of any land, (ii) Urban blight and decay (iii) Anti-social behaviour, or (iv) A shortage of habitable houses or of land suitable for residential use are a mixture of residential and other uses. 6.3 Policy Context 6.3.1 National Planning Framework (NPF) 2018 Regeneration and rejuvenation have been identified as central components in the delivery of ‘compact growth’ as set out in the National Planning Framework (NPF). The focus nationally is on the regeneration of town and city centres and realising the potential of these areas, as a means of tackling climate change, social exclusion, and housing shortages, while working towards improving quality of life. The National Planning Framework highlights that the utilisation of public lands can act as a catalyst to stimulate regeneration and wider investment. One of the key policy priorities is the harnessing of publicly owned lands, including military sites, and combining the potential of such assets with community and wider private and public sector support and investment. The National Planning Framework also recognised the importance of regeneration to the strategic growth and renewal of our communities, through the establishment of a Regeneration and Development Fund, overseen by a new National Regeneration and Development Agency. The Outdoor Recreation Infrastructure Strategy (ORIS) also plays an important part for rural communities by providing funding for the development of new outdoor recreational infrastructure and for the necessary maintenance, enhancement or promotion of existing outdoor recreational infrastructure in rural areas across Ireland. 6.3.2 Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly Spatial Economic Strategy (RSES) The Eastern and Midland Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES), sets out at a regional level to support the implementation of Project Ireland 2040 and the economic policies and objectives of the Government by providing a long-term strategic planning and economic framework for the development of the Eastern and Midland Region. This in turn further guides policy making decisions at a local level through the County Development Plan. In terms of Regeneration the following Regional Strategic Outcomes (RSO’s) are noted: ■ RSO 2: Promote the regeneration of our cities, towns and villages by making better use of under-used land and buildings within the existing built-up urban footprint and to drive the delivery of quality housing and employment choice for the Region’s citizens. ■ RSO 3: Support sustainable rural development and strengthen rural networks, economies and communities. Manage urban generated growth in areas under strong urban influence and encourage sustainable growth in areas that have experienced decline or stagnation. ■ RSO 5: Enhance, integrate and protect our arts, culture and heritage assets to promote creative places and heritage led regeneration. ■ RSO 12: To build a resilient economic base and promote innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems that support smart specialisation, cluster development and sustained economic growth. ■ RSO 16: Provide a regional framework for collaboration and partnerships and to support local and regional bodies in leveraging funding and partnership opportunities. Accordingly, the County Development Plan has been aligned to the relevant Regional Strategic Outcomes (RSOs) and associated relevant Regional Policy Objectives (RPOs). 177County Development Plan 2021–2027
- 6.3.3 Action Plan for Rural Development: Realising our Rural Potential (GoI, 2018) The Action Plan for Rural Development contains a range of measures to support the revitalisation of rural Ireland under the Government’s Project Ireland 2040 Rural Regeneration Programme. The Town and Village Renewal Scheme which was launched by the Government in 2016 is such a measure aimed at starting the process of rejuvenating Ireland’s rural towns and villages to make them more attractive places in which to live, work and visit. 6.3.4 Framework for Town Centre Renewal (DBEI,2017) This sets out key characteristics of a successful town centre and includes an Action Plan for Town Centre Renewal. These relate to the need to bring redundant, under-utilised and derelict land and buildings back into active use. It directly aligns with the principles of sustainable development by reducing the need for greenfield development, supporting the urban fabric and re-using existing resources. The Action Plan in this Framework will be a useful tool for towns and villages applying for funding under the Town and Village Renewal Scheme. This document provides good ‘health check’ indicators on creating more vibrant town centres to include: - ■ Accessibility ■ Pedestrian Flows ■ Environmental Quality ■ Public Realm ■ Diversity of Uses A strong town centre would get a top mark in each of the aforementioned indicators. Regeneration should focus on working to develop a strong town core in the first instance, subsequently from the core to peripheral areas. 6.3.5 Longford Regeneration Initiative This focuses on the following Thematic Priority Areas: - 1. Community-led Development and Capacity Building 2. Policy Alignment and Implementation 3. Coordination and implementation The regeneration section of Longford County Council is tasked with the delivery of a wide range of projects and initiatives and securing funding for these through community-led development and capacity building, policy alignment and coordination and delivery. The following points summarise the main action areas of the section in support of: 178Longford County Council
- ■ The provisions of the Core Strategy in securing the settlement hierarchy, ensuring that towns and villages are attractive places to live works and visit generating positive change in local communities ■ Reversing town/village and rural population decline, by encouraging new roles and functions for buildings, streets and sites and promoting new economic opportunities through appropriate placemaking initiatives including targeted regeneration master planning for specific areas ■ Compact and Sustainable Growth - encouraging compact forms of development that that focus on consolidating the footprint of existing settlements with new development. ■ Integration of sustainable and climate action policies, the national transition objective and the Just transition process ■ Strong stakeholder engagement through established Town Teams and other vehicles to maximise a bottom-up approach ■ Protecting environmental and heritage assets, encouraging access, awareness conservation and preservation as appropriate. A number of future projects have also been identified which have been incorporated into Development Plan Policy Objectives. 6.4 Regeneration Typology There are many different types of regeneration, which are discussed accordingly: - 1. Compact Growth Urban Regeneration (Housing) 2. Economic Urban Regeneration 3. Heritage Urban Regeneration 4. Rural Regeneration 6.4.1 Compact Growth Urban Regeneration (Housing) One of the key elements of the NPF relates to the need for compact growth, with housing development within and close to existing builtup areas and a focus on the regeneration of infill and brownfield sites.41 The NPF and EMRA RSES identifies ‘Compact Growth’ as the means to deliver sustainable growth in our urban settlements through consolidation, rather than the continued sprawl of urban development into the countryside, at the expense of town centres and smaller villages. Compact Growth is focused on the following types of urban sites, many of which incorporate a significant element of regeneration: ■ Brownfield Sites - Any land which has been subjected to building, engineering or other operations excluding temporary uses or urban green spaces. These sites generally comprise of redundant lands and/or buildings. ■ Infill Sites - Development within urban infill sites must consider the context of the surrounding area. ■ Backland Development - Undeveloped parcels of land located to the rear of existing buildings. Accordingly, urban regeneration and ‘compact growth’ are key focus areas within this Plan, supported with a central objective to regenerate the County’s towns and villages by making better use of under-used land and buildings within the existing built-up urban footprint and to drive the delivery of quality housing. In accordance with the RSES, the Development Plan has adopted an asset-based approach to the strategic location of new residential development, which will contribute to regeneration, placemaking and compact growth (Table 6.1). 41 NPO 3a Deliver at least 40% of all new homes nationally, within the built-up footprint of existing settlements; NPO 3c Deliver at least 30% of all new homes that are targeted in settlements other than the five Cities and their suburbs, within their existing built-up footprints. Providers Building, Longford Town 179County Development Plan 2021–2027
- Table 6.1: Asset Test: Criteria for the strategic location of new residential development (Source: EMRA RSES 2019). Scale Is there potential for compact sustainable development, based on the settlements scale, rates of growth, local ambition and availability of serviced lands? Functions Is there a good level of local employment provision, based on its jobs ratio and net commuting flows, and/or potential to develop complementarities with other places? Services Will local services and amenities including community, education, health, leisure and retail be accessible as set out in the ’10-minute settlement’ concept? Placemaking Will the development reinforce a sense of place and character, and create a healthy and attractive environment in line with good urban design principles? Economic Is there potential for better alignment of housing and employment provision, to strengthen local economies or drive economic development opportunities? Connectivity Is the development accessible to existing/planned public transport and is there potential to improve modal share of public transport, walking and cycling? Environment Does the environment have the carrying capacity for development? Is there potential to enhance environmental quality and/or support transition to low carbon/climate resilience? Infrastructure Is there a requirement for improvements to water, waste water, utilities and/or digital infrastructure and services to support the proposed development? The aim is to target the ‘Key Town’ of Longford and to develop economically active self-sustaining ‘Growth Towns’, in addition to promoting regeneration in rural towns and villages. Towns which require targeted ‘catch–up’ investment to enhance local employment and services and to promote regeneration in towns and villages are identified in the settlement hierarchy (see Chapter 4: Core Strategy and Housing). A vital element of this approach is the regeneration of infill and brownfield sites. In this regard Longford County Council will over the lifetime of the Plan, establish a database of strategic brownfield and infill sites so that a ‘pipeline’ of development opportunities can be kept under review through monitoring and reporting. Longford County Council will also work collaboratively with relevant stakeholders to promote co-ordination in the delivery of increased urban densities in towns centres. In this regard piecemeal development of individual plots will generally not be permitted, unless it is satisfactorily demonstrated that the development will not jeopardise the comprehensive redevelopment of surrounding lands. Great Water Street, Longford - residential units 180Longford County Council
Source Longford County Council: Longford County Development Plan 2021–2027 (2021–2027) · 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.