Wicklow County Development Plan 2022–2028 – Volume 1 Written Statement

1. Page 461

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   Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 Chapter 20 | Implementation and Monitoring CHAPTER 20 IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING 20.0 Implementation Under the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), Wicklow County Council has a statutory obligation and is fully committed to securing the implementation of the Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028. The implementation of this plan requires the cooperation and participation of all stakeholders and Wicklow County Council will undertake a leadership role to progress and secure the implementation of the plan. In providing a leadership role, the Council will aim to foster a collaborative approach with citizens, communities, stakeholders, sectoral interests, partners, Governmental and Non-Governmental agencies, and adjoining authorities to achieve the collective support and successful implementation of the plan. The implementation of the plan is also dependant on a number of factors including Council funding and the availability of capital from other sources. Due to the uncertain economic climate as a result of COVID 19, the provision of funding may present a challenge in the years ahead. All of the objectives of the plan have been written with the specific aim of fulfilling the Development Plan Vision, desired ‘Strategic County Outcomes’ and the ‘Core Strategy’ of the plan, as set out in Chapters 2 and 3. The County Development Plan Vision and Strategic County Outcomes are themselves broadly aligned with the Regional Strategic Outcomes of the RSES, the National Strategic Outcomes of the NPF, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. STRATEGIC COUNTY OUTCOMES SCO1 Sustainable Settlement Patterns & Compact Growth The delivery of compact growth in all towns and villages by capitalising on the potential for infill and brownfield development, moving away from a reliance on greenfield development and creating places that encourage active lifestyles is essential for the successful delivery of the development plan strategy. SCO2 Resilient Town & Village Centres – Regeneration & Renewal Activate the potential for renewal of our town and village centres, creating resilient, adaptable and vibrant places with a strong focus on people. It is essential that we protect and maintain the viability of town and village centres, target the reversal of decline and deliver sustainable reuse and regeneration outcomes. It is important that regeneration and renewal projects respect and embrace Wicklow’s beautiful old buildings and historic streetscapes which give our settlements their identity and strong sense of place. The quality of new architecture will have a long standing impact on the quality of our settlements and therefore should be of the highest quality to withstand the test of time. SCO3 Strong Rural Communities & Sustainable Rural Development Strengthen rural communities and support the sustainable development of rural areas. Encourage innovation and rural diversification in order to sustain vibrant rural communities. Leverage the potential of rural settlements to accommodate sustainable growth and a range of services including social and economic enterprise. SCO4 Sustainable Healthy Communities Places should facilitate a high quality of life for all regardless of age or ability. Access to quality housing, employment, childcare, education, health services, community facilities and a clean unpolluted, environment including clean air and water, are defining elements of healthy, attractive and successful places. Investment in a well-designed public realm which includes public spaces, parks, playgrounds, streets and recreational infrastructure to cater for all ages is essential. SCO5 Sustainable Mobility The County Development Plan plays an important role in influencing a reduction in GHG emissions by guiding the sustainable growth of the County. The integration of land use and transportation planning, in order to support sustainable mobility and encourage a shift away from the private car to active travel (walking and cycling) and public transport, will deliver improvements in terms of quality of life and climate change. SCO6 Natural heritage and biodiversity is the cornerstone of Wicklow’s identity – ‘The Garden of Ireland’. It is453

2. Page 462

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   Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 Chapter 20 | Implementation and Monitoring Natural Heritage & Biodiversity essential that we conserve and enhance the County’s rich natural heritage and biodiversity for the benefit of current and future generations. SCO7 Climate Resilience & the Transition to a Low Carbon Economy Support the transition to low carbon clean energy by facilitating renewable energy use and generation at appropriate locations and supporting the development of off-shore renewable energy enabling infrastructure especially at ports and harbours. Facilitate the sustainable management of waste including the circular economy. Restrict development in areas that are at risk of flooding and protect the natural landscape and biodiversity. SCO8 A Strong Economy Strengthen and broaden the economic base, harness opportunities for economic growth to build economic resilience, strengthen enterprise ecosystems and create quality jobs that align with population growth, ensure a good standard of living and reduce the need for long-distance commuting. Support place making improvements that will generate economic confidence and in turn make settlements more attractive to employers and a skilled workforce. SCO9 Tourism Capitalise on Wicklow’s location within Ireland’s Ancient East and facilitate a year round tourism industry that harnesses Wicklow’s natural amenities and vast recreational opportunities. Ensure that tourism development respects and protects the very assets it depends upon. SCO10 Education & Skills Recognising the important link between education and skills and employment opportunities, it is necessary to continue to improve the opportunities for education and skills within the County and to further develop Wicklow County Campus Centre of Excellence as a third level education facility for enterprise, education, training, research and development. Implementation of the plan will be achieved by:  Application of the objectives and standards of this plan in the assessment of all applications for planning permission, including Local Authority development. Many of the plan objectives are multi-faceted and as such contribute to the achievement of multiple Strategic County Outcomes, which themselves are interrelated;  Investment in infrastructure underpinning the development objectives of the plan. In this regard, the desired ‘Strategic County Outcomes’ and the ‘Core Strategy’ of the plan shall set the priorities for the provision and improvement of infrastructure by both the Local Authority and other agencies, subject to the availability of funding;  Integrating the strategies, policies, and objectives of the plan with lower-order plans such as local area plans and action area plans;  Ongoing monitoring of the strategies and objectives of the plan and identifying any needs for adjustment of objectives over the lifetime of the plan and in future reviews. As far as practicable, every effort has been made to craft objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable and realistic. It is acknowledged that not all objectives may be measured in easily identifiable quantitative values. Many objectives relate to development management processes which may be implemented through established internal processes and procedures. Other objectives may relate to criteria which are considered as part of multifaceted decision-making processes which require the balancing of a range of objectives against particular site-specific circumstances. In addition, it is noted that many objectives are intended to facilitate and support an intended outcome, rather than act as a direct means of delivering the outcome. In this regard, implementation of the objectives of the County Development Plan and the delivery of desired planning outcomes, may be subject to a range of external factors, most notably wider economic circumstances and availability of resources.454

3. Page 463

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   Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 Chapter 20 | Implementation and Monitoring 20.1 Sources of Funding Funding for the various projects, programmes and policy objectives of the Plan will be dependent on capital funding from the Government and various State agencies. The Council’s funds will be allocated under the annual budget adopted by the Elected Members each year. As previously referred to, the availability of funding over the lifetime of the Plan is uncertain and will be dependent on the medium and long term impacts of COVID 19 on the national and international economy. 20.1.1 Development Contributions To facilitate the implementation of roads and transportation, surface water drainage, and community facilities infrastructure, the Council will require contributions from benefiting developers. As per Section 48 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), the Planning Authority may, when granting permission, include conditions for requiring the payment of a contribution in respect of public infrastructure and facilities benefiting development in the area of the planning authority and that is provided, or that is intended will be provided, by or on behalf of the local authority (regardless of other sources of funding for the infrastructure and facilities). The basis for the determination of a contribution under this section is set out in the Wicklow County Council Development Contribution Scheme 2015 (as may be amended). The planning authority will require the payment of contributions in accordance with this scheme. Under Section 49 of the Act, the Planning Authority may include conditions requiring the payment of a contribution in respect of any public infrastructure service or project specified in a ‘supplementary development contribution scheme’, where the provision of infrastructure concerned will benefit the development to which the permission relates when carried out. 20.1.2 Additional funding sources  The Rural and Urban Regeneration and Development Funds (RRDF and URDF) arising from the National Development Plan, in support of the National Planning Framework and other national strategies are available to support the implementation of Regional and Local Authority development plans and Local Economic and Community Plan objectives.  The Climate Action Fund which aims to support initiatives that contribute to the achievement of Ireland’s climate and energy targets will leverage investment by public and private bodies.  The Disruptive Technology Innovation Fund aspires to support Ireland’s innovation ecosystem and to drive collaboration between public bodies, research, Small and Medium sized Enterprises and industry.  Additional National and EU level programmes include the ‘Re-Building Ireland’ Action Plan, the ‘Neighbourhood Scheme’, National Lottery Facility Funding, as well as other funding mechanisms available from the various Government Departments and other agencies. 20.1.3 Private Sourcing A Public Private Partnership (PPP) involves a partnership agreement between the public and private sector for the delivery of specific projects relating to public services and infrastructure. Such approaches ensure a commitment to funding due to interlinked public and private assistance and aims at ensuring the most economically efficient manner of development. Education, local services, health, housing, public transport, roads, solid waste, water/wastewater and other public services can benefit from the approach of a PPP. Other partnership approaches will be pursued with State and public organisations. Such approaches can involve/several different types of projects, including:  Design and build;  Design, build and operate;  Design, build, operate and finance, and455

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   Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 Chapter 20 | Implementation and Monitoring  Operating contracts. 20.2 Development Management Development Management is the statutory process that manages development and in making decisions on planning applications, shall be restricted to considering the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, having regard to the policies and objectives set out in the development plan, all in the interests of the common good. This plan, being a strategic document, sets out these broad policies and objectives, the details of which are subject to best practice interpretation and analysis depending upon the nature and specifics of the development proposed. The granting of planning permission does not per se enable development to be undertaken as such development will have a legal context outside the remit of the permission. It will also be required to conform to the requirements of legislation and regulations that are outside the scope of planning legislation and that will impact the specific development proposed. 20.3 Enforcement Development will be controlled in accordance with policies and objectives set out in the County Development Plan and in accordance with the principles of proper planning and sustainable development. With regard to the enforcement provisions of Part VIII of the Planning and Development Act 2000, the role of the Planning Authority is to undertake enforcement action where necessary with respect to non-compliance with conditions attached to planning permissions and the carrying out of non exempted development without the benefit of planning permission. Furthermore, the Planning Authority has special control powers under current legislation pertaining to such areas as protected structures and tree preservation orders. In addition, the Planning Authority will continue the practice of granting planning permission with the inclusion of conditions requiring levies and/or bonds to be paid to ensure compliance with the conditions of the permission. To secure the satisfactory completion of development on a site which has been granted planning permission, the Council will require the giving of a cash bond to ensure the completion of the development to the satisfaction of the Council. This is provided for under Section 34(4)(g) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). This bond may be requisitioned in part or in full where the development has not been satisfactorily completed and used by the Council to ensure the satisfactory completion of the development. This cash bond shall not be released until the estate is taken in charge. The value of the cash bond will be reviewed during the lifetime of the plan and each year thereafter each year in accordance with the Wholesale Price Index for the Construction Industry. 20.4 Monitoring & Review The Planning and Development Section of Wicklow County Council is the main section responsible for monitoring and implementing the development plan, mainly through the development management function. However, it is important to note that this plan co-ordinates the work and objectives of other key departments within the local authority, such as Enterprise, Community, Housing, Water Services, Roads and Transportation and Environment sections. In some cases, the body responsible for the implementation of certain plan objectives may be external, e.g. EPA, Irish Water, NTA, TII, etc. Many of the plans objectives are set within a longer timeframe, of 20 to 30 years, which may not be fully implemented over the lifetime of this development plan.456

5. Page 465

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   Wicklow County Development Plan 2022-2028 Chapter 20 | Implementation and Monitoring The Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) provides under: Section 15(1) - that 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, and Section 15(2) - that the Chief Executive of the planning authority shall, not more than two years after the making of a development plan, give a report to the members of the planning authority on the progress achieved in securing the objectives referred to in subsection (1). 20.5 Environmental Monitoring Article 10 of the SEA Directive requires monitoring of the significant environmental effects of the implementation of the County Development Plan in order to identify, at an early stage, unforeseen adverse effects and to enable appropriate remedial action to be undertaken. While the ongoing implementation of the objectives of the plan and the monitoring processes detailed above incorporates some monitoring of environment related objectives, the full and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation assessment, required to be undertaken under Article 10 of the SEA Directive, is set out in the Strategic Environmental Assessment that accompanies the County Development Plan.457

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