Rural planning laws must ‘rapidly realign’ with new climate legislation 

The Government needs to “rapidly realign” planning legislation with policy and plans around climate action, Dr Conor Norton president of the Irish Planning Institute (IPI) has warned.

Responding to the publication of the Climate Actions and Low Carbon Development (Amendment Bill) – set to be enshrined into Irish law in the coming weeks – the planning expert said new legislation and policy for climate action must “integrate” with planning policy “at all levels” – including county development plans, local area plans and planning schemes, such as strategic development zones.

“The planning profession has long warned about the problems of Ireland’s settlement strategy and the implications of rural housing for climate change, as well as the associated problems for communities, transport and place-making.

"Project Ireland 2040 through the National Planning Framework and the National Development Plan clearly points to the spatial planning policies required to address the challenges of climate change.

"Any new climate action strategy must align with the National Planning Framework and spatial plans at regional, county and local level,” he said.

Dr Norton – who is head of the department of transport, engineering, environment and planning at Technological University Dublin (formally DIT) – believes an “in-depth review” of all planning policy and national guidelines for plan-making and development management is now required, so that spatial plans and decisions around planning applications “effectively deliver” for climate action.

The new office of the planning regulator is expected to have a critical role to play in the climate-proofing of the next generation of plans.

“Professional planners need to prepare for changes in the strategic planning options that may be available to them, such as permitting development on greenfield land.

"Climate action means that investment priorities such as road infrastructure and rural housing policies must be reviewed.

“Planners should welcome climate action as an opportunity, as well as a challenge to their work.

"Ultimately, planning for climate action has the potential to deliver tangible positive benefits for local communities making them more accessible, providing community infrastructure and delivering the right housing in the right area.”

“Many of the actions needed for climate action already align with good place-making and solid urban design principles,” he said. 

Constraints

However, he added that, “current resource constraints” across local authorities means that “countless” small towns across Ireland currently have no statutory development plan setting out objectives for the proper planning and sustainable development.

“Local authorities must be adequately resourced, so their planning departments focus is on the preparation of spatial plans for climate action, not just decisions around individual planning applications,” he concluded.

IPI is the largest professional membership organisation for spatial planners in Ireland. Members of IPI work in every local authority, An Bord Pleanála, central Government, regional assemblies, in private practice as consultants, for large developers and for semi state organisations.

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