Kieran O'Donnell (Limerick City, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Planning and Development Bill 2023 provides a range of measures to improve consistency across the planning system through clearer, more consistent policies and guidance throughout all tiers of planning, from national to local. Ministerial guidelines and policy directives will be upgraded to national planning statements. These statements will be approved by Government and subject to stakeholder consultation, including with councillors. It will be mandatory for all plans to be aligned to the policy element of national planning statements once issued.

In order to allow for flexibility of implementation, the associated guidance element, outlining how national planning statements should be implemented, will be more discretionary in nature. This allows the flexibility required for local implementation of national policy. All lower tiers of plans will be required to be aligned to higher order plans, with development plans aligned to regional spatial and economic strategies, which in turn will be required to be aligned to the national planning framework and national planning statements.

At local level, the Bill introduces a suite of bespoke area level plans, which in turn will be consistent with development plans at county and city level. The Bill also aligns the tiers of plans with the availability of up-to-date census data, enabling more strategic planning, greater certainty that there is sufficient zoned land available at all times to meet housing, economic and energy need, and providing greater certainty for all stakeholders.

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