Regional Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area 2010-2022 (Volume II – Appendices and Background Papers)
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Regional Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area 2010-2022 (Volume II – Appendices and Background Papers) REGIONAL PLANNING GUIDELINES FOR THE GREATER DUBLIN AREA 2010-2022 Prepared by Dublin & Mid-East Regional Authorities. Volume II Appendices & Background Papers Table of Contents Volume II A1 Effective Integration of Spatial, Land Use and Transport Planning. A2 Indicators for future Monitoring and Reports on RPGs Implementation. A3 Occupancy Rates for Target Year by Council. A4 River Basin Management Plans – Note on Monitoring. A5 Strategic Environmental Assessment. A6 Habitats Directive Assessment. A7 Background Papers for Regional Economic Strategy • Forfás Regional Competitiveness Agenda: Volume II -Realising Potential: East • Economic Development Action Plan for the Dublin City Region • Mid East Regional Authority Economic Development Strategy. A8 Definition of Metropolitan and Hinterland Area. Appendix A1 Effective Integration of Spatial, Land Use and Transport Planning Appendix A1 Effective Integration of Spatial, Land Use and Transport Planning As part of the review process for the Regional Planning Guidelines, the policies, objectives and recommendations of this document seek to ensure consistency between all strands of the regional planning strategy and relevant transport strategies, including T21, ‘Smarter Travel’, National Transport Authority strategies and the objectives of the Dublin Transport Authority Act. While no NTA strategy has yet been published, the RPGs are committed to ensuring the effective integration of regional planning policies and national and regional transport policy. As part of the initial review process, submissions were invited and received from key transport agencies with responsibilities in the GDA including the Department of Transport, Dublin Transport Office, National Roads Authority, Dublin Airport Authority and Iarnrod Éireann1 and these comments contributed to the formulation of RPGs. Each section of the RPG’s has been examined against the direction of strategic transport policies and the key transport initiatives. Chapter 1 of the RPG’s sets out the context for the GDA and identifies key inputs to the document, recognizing Transport 21 as having particular importance because much of the Plan focuses on delivering high grade public transport within the GDA to serve population growth within the metropolitan area and identified regional towns. The strong links between transport and sustainable land use planning, as advocated in current and emerging transport strategies, is recognised and this ethos has been influential in the framing of the settlement, infrastructural and economic strategies. Consequently, the RPG’s seek to encourage land use policies that support the investments currently being made in public transport under Transport 21 and other strategic transport policy areas to ensure that the maximum benefit is gained both economically, socially and environmentally. A number of core principles are set out within Chapter 2 (which establishes the vision for the RPG’s) and have been aligned with the T21 investment programme by ensuring development in the GDA is directly related to investment in integrated high quality public transport services. This concept expanded on throughout the subsequent policy areas in the Plan. The economic strategy contained within Chapter 3 recognises the important links between effective transport and economic competitiveness. The improvements and projects established under T21, in tandem with other economic growth factors, provide the opportunity for the region to be competitive within the international marketplace and to strengthen the regional economy. The role of multi modal corridors and strategic transport routes allows for the movement of goods, services and labour between gateways and major employment centres, thus providing attractive locations for businesses. This chapter also explicitly supports connectivity between strategic employment centres, ports and airports which are necessary to support business, having an impact on both product and labour markets; and also the importance of linking places of work and residence with public transport to achieve more sustainable commuting patterns. Investment in linkages is important as improved transport infrastructure can have benefits to outputs, costs and productivity. As such the delivery of T21 projects and a modal travel shift to ‘greener travel’ is considered to be important for the sustainable economic growth of the GDA. 1 This is not an exhaustive list. Please refer to ‘directors report on pre-draft consultation’ for the 2010 Regional Planning Guidelines for the GDA’ for a full listing of submissions, available at www.rpg.ie Chapter 4 sets out the settlement and housing policy for the RPG’s and supports the core principles of the RPGs outlined in Chapter 2. It also seeks to build on the policy direction adopted by the 2004 RPG’s and the investment decisions of Transport 21 by focusing on the importance of coupling investment in new housing and associated services to investment in public transport infrastructure. Strategic Policy SP1 reflects this commitment by supporting national investment in public transport services by focusing new development areas to key locations to achieve the integration of land use and high quality public transport provision as part of a broader policy approach. The building of critical mass is seen as a means to support public transport investment, value for money and sustaining a well functioning and attractive transport system for users. Chapter 5 which deals with rural development, promotes sustainable land use patterns in line with current guidance documents such as the Rural Housing Guidelines for Planning Authorities 2005, and patterns of development and land use which reduce the need to travel by private car where non rural generated housing is discouraged, whilst supporting local housing for those engaged in the local rural economy and local services. Chapter 6 of the RPGs includes the transport strategy which acknowledges the progress made in transport infrastructure since 2004. Building on this progress, and taking account of recent transport publications, the vision for the RPGs transport policy and development in the GDA is steered by the convergence of national policy towards greater consistency in transport planning, spatial planning and land use management. The direction for the development of transport priority for the region is based around five broad headings- Public Transport, Roads, Airports, Ports and Cycling and Walking. Significant emphasis is placed on the role of public transport and ‘green travel’ options, including sustainable compact urban areas served by high capacity and well developed public transport systems, integration of public transport systems and services, improving choice and opportunities for reduced car travel by rural communities, promotion of higher densities for employment uses around public transport nodes and protection of identified and future possible public transport corridors. Strategic Policy PIP1 supports the aforementioned approaches, while the accompanying table lists a series of key transport projects which are seen as been of central importance to the regional development over the life of the plan. These named projects provide clarity in investment and are included under the T21 programme of works or have been supported by other sustainable transport policy such as the ‘Smarter Travel’ documents. Policy recommendations PIR 1 – PIR10 set out a series of strategic recommendations for transport operators, local authorities and relevant stakeholders, which seek to ensure delivery of effective and cost efficient land use and transport planning development. This mirrors the aspirations of current government policy under the Smarter Travel programme and T21. The Green Infrastructure (G.I.) section of the RPGs, under Chapter 7, highlights the importance of transport corridors in developing GI strategies. The role of such connections for promoting walking and cycling for both leisure and commuting through safe pathways is recognised and emphasised. Chapter 8 relates to social infrastructure and sustainable communities, detailing issues in relation to social inclusion, education, health, ethnicity, youth, living standards and housing environments. Strategic recommendation SIR1 recognises that the delivery of housing needs to follow sustainable models through avoiding low density car based development forms and be focussed on medium densities which will support and be integrated with a range of community facilities within accessible walking distances. Where lands are close to public transport nodes/stations or QBC corridors the density and connectivity of developments should directly support increased population being able to benefit from good transport links. Chapter 9 considers regional flood risk appraisal. The recently published Planning Guidelines The Planning System and Flood Risk Management, in November 2009 recommend assessment of flood risk at all stages in the planning process and set out that regional flood risk appraisal and management policy recommendations are necessary to set a policy framework for Development and Local Area Plans at the local level. The need to protect across the GDA the natural flood plains and riparian corridors of all rivers that have not already been built on, following the completion of Flood Risk Assessment Management Systems is emphasised. With this in mind, transport