Barry Andrews (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 337: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if section 19 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 allows him to direct a local authority to make a local area plan. [33700/06]

Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Section 19(3) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 states that the Minister may provide in regulations that local area plans shall be prepared in respect of certain classes of area or in certain circumstances and a planning authority shall comply with any such regulations. No such regulations have been made. There are however, no specific powers of intervention assigned to the Minister in relation to local area plans such as apply in relation to development plans under Section 31 of the 2000 Act.

Section 19 (1) of the Act requires that a local area plan shall be made in respect of an area which:

(a) is designated as a town in the most recent census of population, other than a town designated as a suburb or environs in that census;

(b) has a population in excess of 2,000; and

(c) is situated within the functional area of a planning authority which is a county council.