Mr. Niall Cussen:

I thank the Chair for the invitation. I have submitted a statement so I will cover some highlights from it. The remit of the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, is as an independent overseer of the implementation by planning authorities and by An Bord Pleanála of the regulatory and policy framework for planning set by the Oireachtas and Government. I will cover the various topics such as: avoiding increasing energy demands, accelerating the shift towards sustainable travel patterns and diversifying our energy systems.

Starting with avoiding increasing energy demands through proper planning, it is fair to say that, historically, our model of development has hardwired us to mainly low-density development dependent on car-based transport, perhaps due to a low awareness of the impacts on the environment and the weakness of sustainable alternatives. Legislative reforms introduced in 2010 included stricter controls on how, where and how much land would be sold for development but it has been very challenging to implement these reforms which has required dezoning in commuter locations and rezoning land for development in underutilised urban areas. Today, the Government’s Project Ireland 2040: National Planning Framework, NPF, commits to securing an average of 40% of the delivery of all new homes on brownfield and infilled development land, rising to 50% in cities and 30% in our towns and villages, through good local authority planning.

From our vantage point on the implementation of this we see a mixed picture. Some local authorities work hard on climate action-centred planning policy despite significant vested interest, political and sometimes public opposition where the link between certain developments and climate are perhaps not fully appreciated. Other local authorities increasingly point to brownfield and higher density development being much less economic compared to lower density greenfield development and point out that following traditional patterns of development might be essential in meeting housing supply pressures. Communities often want to retain familiar 19th century skylines as our cities and towns struggle to address 21st century challenges, including an extra 1 million people predicted by the by the national planning framework by 2040.

Building upwards and making better use of underutilised urban land, providing attractive, affordable and well-located urban housing and connected communities are many of the antidotes to our historical business-as-usual outwards pattern of energy-intensive urban sprawl. Yet urban regeneration, as many members of the committee will know, is massively time and resource-consuming, often litigious, and, if one does not have good participatory-based planning, can be locally contentious.

As we highlighted in the annual report of the OPR, until the NPF is properly reflected and acted upon, we will continue to approve and develop too much development in locations that continue to hardwire us into increasing energy demand.

Turning around the affordability, attractiveness and viability of large-scale housing development within our city and town centres is very critical as will a national brownfield and infill development land register to identify what compact growth means. Land activation measures such as progressing the Land Development Agency Bill, empowering local authorities to implement the vacant and derelict sites legislation and swift despatch of litigation arising are also vital.

Turning to the shift towards active and sustainable travel, all members of the committee will agree that spatial planning policies have a great influence in determining transport patterns. Technology can break old links between work and mobility. There is no doubt that Government is making unprecedented investment but we are championing the critical importance of full integration between transport and land use planning, like some of the recent plans such as the local area plan for Athy and the Dingle hub project.

We want to engage in skilling programmes for the local authorities in delivering sustainable mobility but in the context of shifting from promoting sprawling estates and scattered housing, which never work from a public transport and active travel perspective.

Turning briefly to improving the sustainability of our energy sources, communities want real action on climate. One of the best ways to tap that desire would be to show how every county in the country could play its part in delivering an estimated extra 4 GW of renewable electricity to 2030 and, indeed, more offshore energy generation to a carbon-free society by 2050. Yet our assessments of some local authority development plans find effective bans on the roll-out of sustainable energy sources. On top of the updated Wind Energy Development Guidelines we need a national renewable energy roadmap with county-specific targets and the designation of sustainable energy zones which can be built by the regional assemblies working with the local authority climate action regional offices.

The Planning Act under section 10(2)(n) already demands forward planning that reduces future patterns of energy consumption, shifts our present energy needs towards renewable sources and adapts to climate changes already happening. The pace in implementing this law is quickening since the publication of the NPF, the establishment of our office and the coming into being of local authority climate action plans under the legislation promised. Local government and local authority planning, however, has a central role to play in the Avoid-Shift-Improve approach I mentioned but it needs clear policy frameworks and resources to work with to ensure that local authority members focus on the task at hand.

Notwithstanding this and our statutory mandate, legislated for by the Oireachtas and supported by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, we will work to ensure that all the constituent cogs in our country’s planning process work together in the planet’s and not just in local interests.