Mr. Brian Keaney:

The current convention for development plans is to include both designations for archaeology and also the information from the record of protected structures. The archaeology involves national designation through the Minister whereas the information on the record of protected structures can come from various sources. The development plan, which has a six-year life, is made by the elected members and the information is collated every four years. Once the review process starts, there is always an exercise of reviewing the record of protected structures in particular. It is fair to say that zones of archaeological potential, as they are generally referred to in development plans, do not change very significantly, but any changes are assessed as part of the review process. The challenge relates to public access to the included information. All local authorities produce their information digitally online, so that information is available. However, the Chairman is correct in that part of the issue with local area plans and development plans is that a lot of material goes into them, meaning challenges arise over the level of detail.

A development plan is effectively a summary of policies, designations and so forth. More information sits beneath that. In a way, the function of the development plan is to raise awareness concerning changes to our natural and built environment, including through public and private sector interventions and projects. It is really a question of identifying potential sensitivities if sites are to be developed. That is one side of it.

The second side, which is sometimes missed, is that the role of a development plan or local area plan is to identify projects at local level, maybe along the lines referred to by one of the previous speakers. In this regard, community groups, etc., may be promoting the preservation or conservation of a local archaeological site or protected structure. Again, it is a matter of achieving consensus. The planning process is a democratic one and the development plans and local area plans are adopted by the elected members. When it comes to funding opportunities for projects through LEADER or other such funds, particularly where community groups are involved, the recognition in planning documents of a site or monument identified for a community project as part of what may be a more comprehensive conservation project for a town or village is powerful. That is the value of the designations and their role within the planning system.