Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 914: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the extent to which the impact of the economic downturn and hence lower immigration levels and housing demand are being factored into planning guidelines; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28800/08]

Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 915: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the timescale envisaged for completing his consideration of the draft planning guidelines for local authorities; and when he expects the new guidelines to come into force. [28801/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 914 and 915 together.

In accordance with Section 10 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, local authorities are required to prepare development plans setting out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area over a six-year period. Housing and settlement strategies, which form part of a development plan, are required to be prepared on the basis of defined need and to facilitate and manage appropriate levels of growth in a sustainable manner. Such need would be established having regard to, inter alia, evolving economic and demographic circumstances. Under Section 13 of the Act, a planning authority may at any time, for stated reasons, decide to make a variation of a development plan. Revised regional population targets on foot of the Census 2006 data analysis have already been reflected in regional and local plans.

To assist planning authorities in the development plan process, my Department published Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Development Plans in 2007. These are available from my Department's website at www.environ.ie.

The 2004 Regional Planning Guidelines, which are statutorily valid for a period of six years, are due to be reviewed by 2010. The updated guidelines will have regard to the National Spatial Strategy, the National Development Plan 2007-2013 and other national policy developments as well as regional social and demographic issues, economic and employment trends, and infrastructural developments and need.

In February 2008, I published for public consultation draft Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas accompanied by a best practice Urban Design Manual. A total of sixty-nine submissions were received on foot of the consultation process and these are currently being considered in my Department with a view to finalising the Guidelines later this year.