Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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The main role of the Department of Transport to date in this area has focused on providing an effective input into the preparation of the National Spatial Strategy and the Regional Planning Guidelines. These in turn provide the critical spatial and regional policy underpinning for local authority development plans. When preparing their development plans local authorities are obliged by law to have regard to the relevant Regional Planning Guidelines and to take account of any relevant policies of the Government or Ministers.

The Department has also made an active input into the development of regional land use and transport strategies for the principal provincial cities and their surrounding regions, such as the Cork Area Strategic Plan. It was also an active participant in the work of the Dublin Transportation Office in the preparation of its long term strategy A Platform for Change. These strategies in turn influence the content of local authority development plans.

The Department will continue to be active in this area in the future. While there are no staff dedicated solely to this work, staff from a number of Divisions across the Department contribute as required. The Department has also appointed liaison officers for each of the regions who monitor developments in relation to the implementation of the Regional Planning Guidelines for their region.