John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I published for public consultation the draft guidelines for planning authorities on sustainable residential development in urban areas on 10 February, together with an accompanying best practice urban design manual, which illustrates how these guidelines can be implemented. The 12 week public consultation period finishes on 6 May 2008 and I encourage all interested parties to submit their views within the consultation period.

The objectives of these new guidelines are as follows: to set out stronger planning requirements to facilitate the development of sustainable communities through strengthening planning and the provision of necessary supporting services and amenities; to help achieve the most efficient use of urban land through housing densities that are appropriate to the location involved and availability of supporting services and infrastructure, particularly transport; and to set high standards in terms of space and facilities to meet the needs of the Irish context.

The timescale for finalisation of the guidelines following the public consultation will be dependent on the volume and nature of the comments and submissions received. However, pending finalisation of the guidelines, planning authorities are asked to have regard to the recommended design standards for new residential developments in the draft guidelines when preparing or varying development plans and local area plans.

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