Regional strategy (RSES) · Eastern and Midland Region
Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2019–2031
The regional strategy for the Eastern and Midland Region, including the Dublin Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan.
Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly · June 2019 · 244 pages
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- Assessment of Proposals for Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs) Local authorities, in preparing their development plans, are required to include objectives for the promotion of sustainable settlement and transportation strategies in urban and rural areas. This is to include the promotion of measures to reduce energy demand in response to the likelihood of increases in energy and other costs due to long-term decline in non-renewable resources, reduce anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions and address the necessity of adaptation to climate change. Guidelines, prepared by The Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government (DHPLG), will provide clarification around the development of a suitable methodology for measuring carbon emissions, appropriate to strategic land use designation and related transport infrastructure in the context of the preparation of city/county development plans. It is not the intention of the RSES to render approval of land use designation or transport infrastructure, conditional on consistency with GHG emissions reductions targets in the absence of an agreed methodology at national level. In the interim, the RSES will support the development of a methodology to assess the impact of city and county development plan strategies on carbon reduction targets. REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES: Environmental Assessment and Assessment of Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions RPO 3.4: Ensure that all plans, projects and activities requiring consent arising from the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy are subject to the relevant environmental assessment requirements including SEA, EIA and AA as appropriate. In addition the future strategic development of settlements throughout the Region will have full cognisance of the legal requirements pertaining to sites of International Nature Conservation Interest. RPO 3.5: Identification of suitable employment and residential lands and suitable sites for infrastructure should be supported by a quality site selection process that addresses environmental concerns such as landscape, cultural heritage, ensuring the protection of water quality, flood risks and biodiversity as a minimum. RPO 3.6: City and county development plans shall undergo assessment of their impact on carbon reduction targets and shall include measures to monitor and review progress towards carbon reduction targets. Sustainable Growth In line with RSO 9 EMRA supports the plans and projects for climate action from local authorities and the Department of Communication Climate Action and Environment aimed at accelerating the transition to a low carbon and circular economy. Chapter 7 Environment elaborates on the approach the RSES adopts to achieve sustainability for the Region. REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVE: Sustainable Growth RPO 3.7: Local authorities shall have regard to environmental and sustainability considerations for meeting sustainable development targets and climate action commitments, in accordance with the National Adaptation Framework. In order to recognise the potential for impacts on the environment, local authorities shall address the proper site/route selection of any new development and examine environmental constraints including but not limited to biodiversity, flooding, landscape, cultural heritage, material assets, including the capacity of services to serve any new development. 41Growth Strategy
- 4 People & Place 4.1 Introduction and context This chapter sets out a settlement hierarchy and the identification of key growth areas in the Region that will see significant development up to 2031 and beyond. The Settlement Strategy will build on the policy direction adopted by the previous Regional Planning Guidelines (RPGs) to facilitate growth that is directed towards a number of key designated settlements as part of an integrated land use and transportation strategy to achieve more co-ordinated and sustainable settlement and travel patterns across the Region. The Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) supports the implementation of National Policy Objectives and targets contained in Project Ireland 2040 - National Planning Framework (NPF) and alignment with the investment priorities of the National Development Plan 2018-27 (NDP) by coupling new development with the requisite investment in services and infrastructure. Planning plays a central role in creating places that enhance people’s quality of life, and consequently health and wellbeing. Placemaking and quality of life is increasingly recognised as a key factor in attracting investment, skills and talent (see Chapter 9 Quality of Life). The three overarching key principles of healthy placemaking, climate action and economic opportunity are all key drivers of this chapter. The Settlement Strategy is also informed by a number of key Regional Strategic Outcomes such as the provision of sustainable settlement patterns, compact growth, sustainable rural development, integrated transport and landuse, sustainable management of environmental resources, enhanced regional connectivity and enhanced green infrastructure. The Strategy is informed by an evidence driven Settlement Typology and Asset-Based approach, which identifies key assets and capacity issues in the Region’s settlements and seeks to ensure that all places can meet their full potential and support the health and wellbeing of people who live, work, study in or visit the Region as well as the environment with which they interact. 42 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- Context It is clear that the RSES, while looking at the coherence of the Region as a whole, should have the ability to respond to the different needs of different areas, including between urban and rural. There is an extensive urban settlement pattern in the Region with 24 settlements with a population over 10,000 people and a further 21 settlements with a population over 4,000 (see Figure 4.1). It contains a city and suburbs, large towns, small towns and villages and the rural countryside. Whilst Dublin is dominant in the Region, there are different areas within the Region, characterised by their location and relationship to the Capital City. These have been identified in the Growth Strategy as the Metropolitan Area, The Core Region and The Gateway Region. Within these areas the urban structure has different pressures and opportunities. This difference in context is reflected in the policy responses of the RSES. Figure 4.1 EMRA Large Towns (> 10,000 population) 43People & Place
- 4.2 Settlement Strategy The NPF sets out a targeted pattern of growth for our Region and our Capital City and this is further expanded in the Implementation Roadmap for the National Planning Framework (July 2018). These growth figures in Table 4.1 are to inform the delivery of national policy expressed in the NPF and the delivery of this Strategy. The further breakdown of population projections to county level are contained at Appendix B for use by local authorities in the formulation of the core strategies of their development plans. The approach in core strategies of development plans to realise these population targets will be informed by the transitional population projections methodology set out in the NPF Roadmap, and a robust evidence based analysis of demand, past delivery and potential. Table 4.1 NPF Population Projections SPA 2016 2026 2031 Dublin 1,347,500 1,489,000 - 1,517,500 1,549,500 - 1,590,000 Mid-East 689,000 759,000 - 777,000 789,000 - 813,500 Midlands 292,500 318,500 - 324,500 329,500 - 337,000 Total 2,329,000 2,566,500 - 2,619,000 2,668,000 - 2,740,500 The RSES has used a robust evidence based approach to derive a settlement hierarchy that will achieve the Regional Strategic Outcomes for the benefit of the whole Region, see Table 4.2 and Figure 4.2. Table 4.2 Settlement Hierarchy Settlement Typology Description Areas Metropolitan Core Region Gateway Region Dublin City and suburbs International business core with a highly concentrated and diversified employment base and higher order retail, arts, culture and leisure offer. Acts as national transport hub with strong inter and intra-regional connections and an extensive commuter catchment. Dublin City and suburbs Regional Growth Centres Regional Growth Centres are large towns with a high level of self-sustaining employment and services that act as regional economic drivers and play a significant role for a wide catchment area. Drogheda Athlone Dundalk Key Towns Large economically active service and/or county towns that provide employment for their surrounding areas and with high-quality transport links and the capacity to act as growth drivers to complement the Regional Growth Centres. Bray Maynooth Swords Navan Naas Wicklow- Rathnew Graiguecullen (Carlow) Longford Mullingar Tullamore Portlaoise Self-Sustaining Growth Towns Self- Sustaining Towns i) Self-Sustaining Growth Towns with a moderate level of jobs and services – includes sub-county market towns and commuter towns with good transport links and capacity for continued commensurate growth to become more self-sustaining. ii) Self-Sustaining Towns with high levels of population growth and a weak employment base which are reliant on other areas for employment and/or services and which require targeted ‘catch up’ investment to become more self-sustaining. To be defined by development plans. Towns and Villages Towns and villages with local service and employment functions. To be defined by development plans. Rural Villages and the wider rural region To be defined by development plans. 44 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- DLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRDLRSDCCSDCCSDCCSDCCSDCCSDCCSDCC DCCDCCDCCDCCDCCDCCDCCDCCDCCDCCDCCDCCDCCDCC FCC Wicklow KildareKildare MeathMeath LouthLouthLouthLouthLouthLouth LaoisLaois Offaly Westmeath LongfordLongford Wicklow/Rathnew Bray Navan Naas Mullingar Tullamore Longford Portlaoise Carlow/Graiguecullen Dublin City Maynooth Swords Maynooth Drogheda Dundalk Athlone Dublin City Dublin City & Suburbs Regional Growth Centres Key Towns Metropolitan Area Core Region Gateway Region Dublin-Belfast Corridor Key road Rail Settlement Strategy Louth Rural Places Support the sustainable growth of rural areas by promoting the revitalisation of rural towns and villages, including ready to go regeneration projects coupled with investment where required in local employment and services and targeted rural housing policies, to be determined by local authorities. Self-Sustaining Towns Some settlements, particularly those that have undergone rapid residential expansion will require targeted investment in local employment and services to grow at a more sustainable level appropriate to their position in the hierarchy, to be determined by local authorities. Self-Sustaining Growth Towns Settlements with strong service and employment functions may have the capacity to support a level of commensurate population and employment growth to become more self-sustaining, in line with their capacity of public transport, services and infrastructure, to be determined by local authorities. Key Towns Provide for the sustainable, compact, sequential growth and urban regeneration in the town core of identified Key Towns by consolidating the built footprint through a focus on regeneration and development of identified Key Town centre infill / brownfield sites. Regional Growth Centres Support significant population and economic growth to drive effective regional development, with a vision for Athlone to act as a lead town for the Midlands growing to around 30,000 by 2031. The vision for Drogheda and Dundalk is for both to reach a target population in the region of 50,000 by 2031. Dublin City and Suburbs Support the consolidation and re-intensification of infill/brownfield sites to provide high density and people intensive uses within the existing built up area and ensure that the development of future development areas is co-ordinated with the delivery of key water and public transport infrastructure. Figure 4.2 Settlement Strategy 45People & Place
- 4.3 Defining a Settlement Typology The NPF sets the policy parameters for the Region to better manage the growth of Dublin as a city of international scale supported by the growth of the key Regional Growth Centres of Athlone, Dundalk and Drogheda, which form the upper two tiers in the settlement hierarchy. To achieve effective regional development, Dublin and the Regional Growth Centres will be supported by the complementary development and regeneration of a small number of selected Key Towns. Population and employment size are not the sole determinant of a settlement’s functional role or in the consideration of its strategic regional significance. Some towns with a large population base located within the catchment of Dublin have emerged mainly as commuting towns, with a level of function significantly lower than their population base. Conversely, other towns have a level of function higher than their population base and play a key regional role. The RSES considered the following using an asset-based approach (see also Table 3.1) in the development of the Settlement Strategy: • The scale of population, growth rates and local ambition for sustainable compact growth • The scale of employment provision and commuting flows • Particular sub-regional interdependencies and influence, for example whether a settlement is located within the Dublin Metropolitan Area, Core Region or Gateway Region • The extent of local services provision i.e. administration, education- particularly third level, health, retail and amenities • Levels of relative affluence or deprivation • The availability of economic development assets and clusters • Transport accessibility and trip profiles, including internal trips • Environmental sensitivities, resources and assets • Current and planned infrastructure capacity The RSES identifies a third tier of Key Towns which are Swords, Maynooth, Bray, Navan, Naas, Wicklow-Rathnew, Longford, Mullingar, Tullamore, Portlaoise and Graiguecullen (Carlow). They are large economically active service and/or county towns, with high quality transport links that play an important service role for their catchments and that have the capacity to act as growth drivers to complement Dublin and the Regional Growth Centres. Further to the identification of Key Towns it is acknowledged that there are a number of settlements, which also have strong service and employment functions and have the capacity to support a level of commensurate population and employment growth. In this regard local authorities shall apply a similar evidence driven asset-based approach to the consideration of all settlements, some of which may have the potential and ambition to become drivers for growth in the county or to play a key role in providing services and employment to their local catchments. Towns in the lower tiers should provide for commensurate population and employment growth, providing for natural increases and to become more economically self-sustaining, in line with the quality and capacity of public transport, services and infrastructure available. It is considered appropriate that population targets for these towns be defined in the core strategies of development plans, and be reflective of local conditions and place potential. GUIDING PRINCIPLES Core Strategies Local authorities, in the preparation of their core strategies should have due regard to the settlement typology of towns in the Region and carefully consider the phasing of development lands to ensure that towns grow at a sustainable level appropriate to their position in the hierarchy. See Tables 4.2 and 4.3 for further guidance. 46 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- Table 4.3 Settlement Typologies and Policy Responses Settlement Typology 1. Dublin City and suburbs 2. Regional Growth Centres 3. Key Towns 4. Self-Sustaining Growth Towns and Self- Sustaining Towns 5. Towns, Villages and Rural Areas Significance International National Regional County Local Socio Economic Functions International business core with strong diversified economic base with access to international markets. High density retail and service hub with high quality arts, culture and leisure offer. Large regional centres with strong economic base and good connectivity to Dublin and its markets. High level of service and retail functions playing a key role for a wide catchment. Large economically active service and/or county towns that provide employment for their surrounding areas and with high-quality transport links and the capacity to act as growth drivers. Self-Sustaining Growth Towns and Self-Sustaining Towns, some of which have experienced rapid population growth and require ‘catch up’ investment to become more self-sustaining. Towns and villages with local service and employment functions. Rural areas both within and outside the influence of large urban areas. Transport Profile Self-sufficient (high internal trip rate) transport hub with high quality public transport and links to other centres. Self-sufficient settlements with higher rates of internal trips and public transport connections to Dublin and other centres. Self-sufficient settlements (Gateway Region) and commuter settlements with high quality public transport and growth capacity at transport nodes. Self-sufficient and commuter settlements, with good public transport and regional transport links, some of which may be highly car dependent. Towns and rural villages some of which may not have good public transport or regional connections and may be highly car dependent. Policy Response Continued consolidated population and employment growth with a focus on improving housing supply and amenity provision to create sustainable communities and improve public transport and sustainable travel options. Key drivers of regional economic growth aligned with significant rates of population growth, coupled with investment in services, amenities and sustainable transport. Commensurate population and employment growth, on high quality public transport corridors coupled with investment in services, amenities and sustainable transport. Consolidation coupled with targeted investment where required to improve local employment, services and sustainable transport options and to become more self-sustaining settlements. Consolidation coupled with targeted rural housing and investment policies where required to improve local employment, services and sustainable transport options and to become more self-sustaining. The translation of these policy responses into core strategies in development plans should also consider the scale and location of settlements and accordingly the requisite nature and scale of development appropriate at these locations. In this regard, higher densities in core strategies should be applied to higher order settlements such as Dublin City, Regional Growth Centres and Key Towns. However there should be a graded reduction in residential densities for Self-Sustaining Growth Towns, Self-Sustaining Towns, towns and villages that are commensurate to the existing built environment. 47People & Place
- Local authorities, in developing their core strategies and settlement hierarchies will consider the following growth enablers for every part of the Region to meet its potential including; • Economic Growth – Harness opportunities for economic growth by supporting synergies between talent and place, building on identified assets to strengthen enterprise ecosystems and provide quality jobs. Re-intensify employment within existing urban areas, complemented by strategic employment growth in the right locations and diversification of local and rural economies to better withstand economic shocks and sustain national growth. • Align Population, Employment and Housing Growth – Divergence between the places people live and work leads to long-distance commuting and congestion, which is having a negative impact on quality of life. To address this, promote sustainable growth in the right locations and ‘catch up’ investment and consolidation in local services, amenities and employment in areas that have experienced large scale commuter driven housing development. • Compact Sustainable Growth – Promote compact, sequential and sustainable development of urban areas from large to small to realise targets of at least 50% of all new homes to be built, to be within or contiguous to the existing built up area of Dublin city and suburbs, and a target of at least 30% for other urban areas. Support co-ordination across local authorities and agencies to promote active land management and better use of under-utilised, brownfield and public lands. • Regeneration and Development – Identify significant ready-to-go regeneration projects in the existing built areas of our cities, towns, villages as well as rural regeneration opportunities, which could leverage private and public-sector support and investment, including NPF and European funding with a focus on social as well as physical regeneration. • Strategic Connectivity – Protect and enhance global connectivity including the TEN-T network to ensure the best use of existing and planned transport infrastructure, safeguard national assets and improve sustainable mobility. Enhance regional accessibility as part of an integrated land use and transport strategy to enable the development of designated towns on strategic and public transport corridors and in tandem with enabling infrastructure. • Dublin-Belfast Economic Corridor - Safeguard and improve accessibility and service by rail, road and communication between Dublin and Belfast and drive cross border networks between Drogheda, Dundalk and Newry. Post-Brexit, consideration should be given to a process that can establish protocols for environmental protection and movement of people and goods. • Healthy Placemaking - To realise sustained economic growth and employment including the integration of better urban design, public realm, amenities and heritage to create attractive places to live, work, visit and invest in. Focus on placemaking to create attractive and sustainable communities to support active lifestyles including walking and cycling. • Climate Action – to accelerate a transition to a greener, low carbon and climate resilient region with focus on energy transition, carbon sequestration and reduced travel demand through the promotion of sustainable settlement patterns. Support the Climate Action Regional Offices and local authorities in their implementation of climate strategies. • Collaboration – The Assembly will foster collaboration in the allocation of funds to maximise the value for money and delivery of RSES policy and to promote enhanced collaboration between local and regional stakeholders in relation to enterprise and employment, transport, education, retail and service delivery and in the preparation of local transport plans and urban area plans (UAPs). There will be a need to co-ordinate the sources of funding of infrastructure, including community facilities that will be located within joint urban area plans. 48 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
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- Taking Account of Existing Plans Where there may not be an ideal fit between some current plans and the more up to date broad national and regional future development parameters set out under the NPF, this Strategy and/or updated data that might be circulated by the Department from time to time as new information (i.e. Census data) becomes available, appropriate transitional arrangements will be put in place. For example, the consideration of development land prioritisation measures by local authorities rather than ‘dezoning’ of land, where there may be a surplus, would be more appropriate. The Department of Housing Planning and Local Government (DHPLG) will provide updated planning guidelines on their development plan functions to planning authorities in this regard. The NPF or the NPF Implementation Roadmap document, do not seek the downzoning of land, however. Core strategies may apply prioritisation measures and/ or de-zoning of land where a surplus of land is identified in plans with regard to the NPF Implementation Roadmap up to 2031. In preparing core strategies account should also be given to the consideration of sequential lands which are suitable for the delivery of housing but may not be forthcoming in the plan period having regard to 2031 roadmap targets, subject to proper planning and sustainable development. Furthermore, the zoning of land and planning permission alone, do not necessarily guarantee delivery and population growth in accordance with projected, targeted timeframes. Therefore, in planning for future growth, it will be important for planning authorities to set out and monitor the service capacity and likely rate of completion of development on zoned lands, both brownfield and greenfield as well as elsewhere, having regard to local conditions and trends. Much closer attention will need to be paid to actual delivery, taking the steps that may be necessary to implement strategic planning aims, housing delivery in the immediate term and above all, avoiding the hoarding of land and/or planning permissions. Effective ways to tackle any tendencies towards land and/ or planning permission hoarding or excessively slow delivery include measures such as the Vacant Site Levy and the release of alternate lands where permitted development, without any wider delivery constraints, is not being brought forward. Accordingly, sites with long-term development potential at priority locations should not be ‘reserved’ at the land allocation stages of the plan-making and implementation processes, in such a way as would create an unreasonable dependency on such sites being brought forward or that would impede the bringing forward of other suitable lands with better prospects for delivery in the short term, if the strategic sites are not being brought forward by their owners. Proactive land management therefore requires realistic prioritisation, proper monitoring and effective co-ordination across regional, metropolitan, city and county levels. For current planning purposes, the immediate short term will be regarded as the period to 2021, the shortmedium term may be regarded as the period from 2021 to 2026, the medium term is the period from 2026 to 2031 and the long term is the period post-2031. By the time the current Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSESs) are complete and city and county development plans reviewed, the first round of post-RSES development period 2021- 2026 will have become the short term. Headroom Practice in relation to previous Regional Planning Guidelines (RPGs) and core strategies, has generally been to match future population targets to the physical extent of land being zoned for development, based on assumptions related to density and household occupancy. A further factor of 50% of the identified land requirement has also been universally applied as ‘headroom’. The concept of headroom based solely on zoned land provision does not account for housing yield arising from the re-use of existing housing stock, mixed-use development, urban intensification or infill or brownfield development. NPF Roadmap population projections already incorporate 25% headroom figures for all parts of the country (Implementation Roadmap for the National Planning Framework, Appendix 2). This may be supplemented by additional 25% headroom, applicable in the 16 local authority areas that are projected to grow at or above the national average growth figure (page 5 of the NPF Roadmap). This further headroom may be applied regionally and locally, at RSES and city and county development plan stage. Application of headroom is particularly relevant to urban areas, particularly the five cities, where the aim is to target at least half of future housing delivery within existing built-up areas. However, the scale of projected population targets for cities means some transfer of projected growth to their wider metropolitan areas is appropriate, particularly during the transition period to 2026, this level of transfer may be determined at the regional or metropolitan level. 50 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
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