Ms Gina Kelly:

Yes, I can take that question. We would have been looking at examples of implementation of transport-oriented development and looked firstly at the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, study and the definition it uses, which is a good starting point. Then we would have looked at the application of that in the first study that was carried out looking at the four local authorities in the Dublin region with regard to specific projects which could be identified there for the progression of transport-oriented development. That considered multiple types of transport looking at BusConnects as well as high-capacity transport corridors. One critical element of it is not just that the public transport is there, or in planning, but that it can be delivered in tandem with those developments in a timely fashion so that transport behaviours, unsustainable versus sustainable, can have time to be bed in. The NESC definition is a good starting point. The Cathaoireach's point in looking at broader active travel, permeability and at active travel infrastructure is also useful.

Another critical piece we would see is looking at the monitoring of the implementation of transport-oriented development and at how we can use the tools that are available through Central Statistics Office, CSO, data, for example, regarding access to services and how long it takes to access services from different areas. We also look at tools and developments by the likes of the National Transport Authority, NTA, to look at accessibility to public transport in areas. There would be a few elements we would bring in there to it. Our point in recommending a definition is included in the revised NPF was simply to assist with when that feeds through into the regional and local strategies, and that that can help with decision-making if it is quantifiable and is easier to define.