Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I am in two minds on the ten-year plan. In a way, it is good to have a long look at the county development plan, which is the overarching plan for the county, and then to fill in the details with priority area plans, urban area plans and joint area plans, or local area plans as they were previously known. I remember being completely overwhelmed by a development plan process. It is really tough. If a councillor is interested in planning and committed to the development plan, it is a tough process through which to go, as all present are aware. I am in two minds in that regard.

As regards the overreach of the planning regulator, the regulator will review what councillors put into a plan. It is often the case that councillors will vote an objective or something else into a plan against the advice of the planner, the chief executive, TII, the NTA or whoever it may be. The planning regulator will consider that and come back and issue recommendations. That is a good oversight role to have because although it is the councillors' plan, there are rules and guidelines within which they must stay. If councillors took the approach that it is their plan and they could put whatever they want into it, planning would go off the rails completely. It is good to have the OPR oversight of those plans.