gov.ie/2040 Project Ireland 2040 National Planning Framework Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government gov.ie/2040 Project Ireland 2040 National Planning Framework Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework FOREWORD 5 1 The Vision 10 1.1 Setting out the Vision 10 1.2 Making the Vision a Reality 11 1.3 Shared Goals – Our National Strategic Outcomes 14 1.4 What Happens If We Do Nothing? 16 1.5 UN Sustainable Development Goals 19 2 A New Way Forward 20 2.1 Realising Ambition and Potential 20 2.2 Overview of the NPF Strategy 22 2.3 Strategy Development 24 2 2.4 Growing Our Regions 26 2.5 Building Stronger Regions: Accessible Centres of Scale 27 2.6 Securing Compact and Sustainable Growth 28 3 Effective Regional Development 30 3.1 Strategic Development of Ireland’s Regions 30 3.2 Eastern and Midland Region 32 3.3 Northern and Western Region 38 3 3.4 Southern Region 44 4 Making Stronger Urban Places 54 4.1 Why Urban Places Matter 54 4.2 Ireland’s Urban Structure 58 4.3 Planning for Ireland’s Urban Growth 60 4 4.4 Planning for Urban Employment Growth 64 4.5 Achieving Urban Infill/ Brownfield Development 65 5 Planning for Diverse Rural Places 68 5.1 Why Rural Places Matter 68 5.2 Strengthening Ireland’s Rural Fabric and Supporting Rural Communities 69 5.3 Planning for the Future Growth and Development of Rural Areas 71 5 5.4 Planning and Investment to Support Rural Job Creation 75 5.5 Rural Investment Coordination 79 6 People, Homes and Communities 80 6.1 Quality of Life and Place 80 6.2 Healthy Communities 82 6.3 Diverse and Inclusive Ireland 84 6 Age Friendly Communities 86 6.4 6.5 Childcare, Education and Life Long Learning 89 6.6 Housing 91 2 Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework 7 Realising our Island and Marine Potential 98 7.1 Integrated Land and Maritime Planning 98 7.2 Maritime Economy 101 7.3 Ports 102 7 7.4 Coastal Environment and Planning For Climate Change 103 7.5 Offshore Renewable Energy 104 8 Working with Our Neighbours 106 8.1 Ireland and the European Union 106 8.2 Ireland and Northern Ireland 108 8.3 Working Together for Economic Advantage 110 8 8.4 Co-ordination of Investment in Infrastructure 112 8.5 Managing our Shared Environment Responsibly 114 8.6 Ireland and England, Scotland and Wales 115 9 Realising Our Sustainable Future 116 9.1 Environmental and Sustainability Goals 116 9.2 Resource Efficiency and Transition to a Low Carbon Economy 118 9.3 Protecting Conserving and Enhancing our Natural Capital 123 9 9.4 Creating a Clean Environment for a Healthy Society 128 10 Implementing the National Planning Framework 130 10.1 Governance and Oversight 130 10.2 The Planning System 134 10.3 Public Capital Investment – The National Development Plan 10 and National Strategic Outcomes 138 11 Assessing Environmental Impact 152 11.1 Environmental Assessment 152 11.2 Integrating Environmental Considerations into the Planning System 156 11.3 Alternatives to Business as Usual - A New Way Forward 157 11 11.4 Summary of Key Findings 158 Appendix 1 - National Policy Objectives 159 Appendix 2 - Population and Jobs in Urban Settlements in Ireland, Census of Population, 2016 170 Appendix 3 - A Methodology for a Tiered Approach to Land Zoning 175 Appendix 4 - References 176 3 Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework 4 Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework Foreword Ireland stands on the cusp of great change. In the next This document, the National Planning Framework, is twenty years we will grow by an extra one million a planning framework to guide development and people. investment over the coming years. It does not provide every detail for every part of the country; rather it This raises a series of important questions for our empowers each region to lead in the planning and consideration, the most basic being where will all development of their communities, containing a set these people live and work, what kind of quality of life of national objectives and key principles from which will we each enjoy, and how will a country of almost six more detailed and refined plans will follow. million people impact on our communities and on our built and natural environment? The companion to this document is the National Development Plan, a ten year strategy for public We have a responsibility to answer these questions; capital investment of almost €116 Billion. Their we have a responsibility to plan for the changes that joint publication as Project Ireland 2040 is perhaps we face – to manage our future growth in a planned, the most radical break with the past: aligning our productive and sustainable way. This is a challenge investment strategy with our strategic planning certainly, but it is also a great opportunity for a new documents to, for the first time in the history of our generation to imagine, and implement, a shared vision State, create a unified and coherent plan for the for each community on this island. country. We have made mistakes in the past and we have We began this journey more than three years ago, allowed the country to sprawl and develop without and through thousands of submissions from members a coherent plan, and to the detriment of many of our of the public, and dozens of events and consultation places and our people. After nearly a decade since the exercises right across the country, we have shaped a financial crisis took hold, some parts of our country shared set of strategic objectives to secure the future are now thriving once again, while others continue prosperity of our country, our regions and our people. to face difficulties. Indeed, many communities faced difficulties long before the recent crisis, precisely We are therefore delighted to publish the National because there was no shared vision, there was no Planning Framework as both a vision and a credible plan. development strategy to shape our national, regional and local spatial development in economic, Project Ireland 2040 represents an important shift environmental and social terms to 2040. from previous approaches to long-term planning and investment by Government. It is an approach that joins Project Ireland 2040 is one vision for one country. up ambition for improvement across the different areas of our lives, bringing the various government departments, agencies, State owned enterprises and local authorities together behind a shared set of strategic objectives for rural, regional and urban development. Leo Varadkar TD, Eoghan Murphy TD, Taoiseach Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government 5 Project Ireland 2040 | Building Ireland’s Future | National Planning Framework Journey to The National Planning Framework DRAFT PUBLICATION SEP NOV 2017 CONSULTATION ON THE DRAFT FRAMEWORK FEB 2018 Review of submissions NATIONAL PLANNING FRAMEWORK and further amendments nd st FINALISATION FEB 2 MAR 31 2017 AND APPROVAL SEA/AA/SFRA screening PREDRAFT NATIONAL of amendments CONSULTATION NATIONAL PLANNING FRAMEWORK NATIONAL PLANNING FRAMEWORK JUN 2016 Ireland 2040 Our Plan Strategic Environmental Issues and Choices Paper Executive Summary Assessment Issues and Choices Scoping Report PRELIMINARY February 2017 National Launch and Regional Launches STAKEHOLDER SEP 2016 DEC 2015 as well as consultation with third level Public students (14 events) CONSULTATION A Government of Ireland Policy Publication of engagement EVENTS Strategic Environmental Assessment POSTER COMPETITION NPF Roadmap “Reimagine Ireland” - create an A3 poster to show at the National how you would like Ireland to be in 2040 Scoping Report NATIONAL PLANNING FRAMEWORK “Imagine Your Ploughing Community in 2040” Draft Position Paper Championships Nationwide Green Schools Poster Strategic Issues and Policy Choices Competition in partnership with September 2016 An Taisce (EEU) Regional and National Prizes for Junior Primary and Closing date: Senior Primary Categories 3rd March 2017 Regional Winners National winners Tweet will receive a will receive @GreenSchoolsIre and @npf.ie with Tablet #ireland2040 and €500 Computer for their school your poster ideas! Send entries to: Green-Schools, 5A Swift’s Alley, Francis Street, Dublin 8, D08TN88 email: [email protected] For full terms and conditions visit www.greenschoolsireland.org or call 01-4002222 for further information. FEB 2018 National Advisory START Group Meeting Cabinet Meeting OCT 2014 MAR 2016 APR 2016 JUL 2016 OCT 2016 DEC 2016 FEB 2017 MAR 2017 MAY 2017 JUL 2017 AUG 2017 SEP 2017 Cross Departmental Econometric and Oireachtas Government Infrastructure, National Oireachtas National SEA/AA/SFRA Infrastructure, Cross National Advisory Steering Group Demographic Briefing approval to Environment Advisory Briefing Advisory Steering Group Environment Departmental Group Meeting Steering Group commence the Inception Meeting and Climate Group Group and workshop and Climate Steering Group preparation Meeting Infrastructure, Action Cabinet Meeting Meeting Action Cabinet Meeting of the NPF Environment and Sub Committee Sub Committee Infrastructure, Meeting Meeting Environment Econometric and Climate Action Arts, Heritage, and Climate Demographic Steering Cabinet Sub Econometric and Demographic Regional, Rural Action Group Meeting Committee Meeting SEA/AA/SFRA Steering and Gaeltacht Sub Committee Steering Group Group Meeting Affairs Cabinet Government decision to Meeting and workshop Sub Committee align NPF and ten-year Meeting National Investment Plan SEA/AA/SFRA Steering Group Infrastructure,