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

Amendment No. 501 concerns section 60 and the new procedure enabling the timely variation of a development plan to make it materially consistent with a new or amended national planning statement where the Office of the Planning Regulator has informed the planning authority under section 59 that it is satisfied with the steps proposed by the planning authority. In this context, the chief executive undertakes screening for strategic environmental assessment and appropriate assessment in respect of the draft amendment and shall, in accordance with subsection (3), with a view to avoiding duplication of assessments, take account of the fact and content of any assessment that the Minister has conducted in respect of the relevant national planning statement.

This amendment seeks to provide that the chief executive must consider the adequacy of any assessments conducted by the Minister. It is not the role of the chief executive to critique the adequacy of the environmental assessments undertaken by the Minister. The section seeks to limit duplication of assessments which are undertaken to discharge the State's responsibilities on foot of the relevant directives. It is for the chief executive, in view of the content of the proposed variation, and of the particular environmental circumstances relating to their functional area, to conclude whether a strategic environmental assessment or appropriate assessment is required as part of the variation proposed to the relevant plan. Therefore, we are not accepting the amendment.