Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Amendment No. 477 relates to section 54 and the interim report on the implementation of the development plan to be provided by the chief executive of a planning authority to its elected members. The amendment seeks to insert a new subsection to require that the chief executive must consult the elected members, prescribed bodies and the public on the content of an interim implementation report.

I cannot accept these amendments. The purpose of the interim report is to allow for a review of the progress of the implementation of the plan. It is not intended to be a review of the development plan, which occurs after eight years. In view of this, the Bill takes a careful balance between the capacity to review the implementation of the plan while maintaining the effective delivery of the overall strategy of the plan as adopted. If, arising from the outcome of the implementation review, a variation or variations are deemed to be required, these will be undertaken with the capacity for public participation.

In a similar vein, amendment No. 476 seeks to provide that the chief executive, within 20 months of making a development plan, must consult with the elected members and prescribed bodies on what is working well with the implementation of the development plan and on any issues or actions which need to be taken.

It shall consult again prior to the production of the interim implementation report on progress. It shall reflect the matters raised in the consultation in such report and give the input due consideration in any conclusions and recommendations made. A key reason for the extension of the plan period to ten years is to allow the local authority to implement and activate the plan objectives. This will take a period of time, particularly in view of the likelihood of the requirement to do urban and priority urban plans. The progress report on the implementation of the plan will be carried out after five years. This is considered to be an appropriate period. In view of this we cannot accept the amendment.