Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if it is his policy to encourage marina developments; the steps being taken in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27137/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I have no specific function in relation to the encouragement of marina developments.

Section 10(2) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 requires development plans to include objectives for the preservation, improvement and extension of amenities and recreational amenities. The First Schedule to the Act states that development plans may also include objectives for regulating, promoting or controlling tourism development; regulating, restricting and controlling the development of coastal areas and development in the vicinity of inland waterways; and regulating, restricting and controlling development on the foreshore, or any part of the foreshore.

Section 19 of the Act requires local area plans to be consistent with the objectives of the development plan for the area.

In order to assist planning authorities in the preparation and implementation of development plans, my Department published Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Development Plans in June 2007. These guidelines, inter alia, emphasise the mandatory objectives for the preservation, improvement and extension of amenities and recreational amenities. The guidelines are available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie.

The making and varying of a development plan is a reserved function of the elected members of a planning authority.