Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 195: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his position on the need for a national organisation to support the effective and sustainable strategic management of our towns and cities; and if he has considered establishing something along the lines of an Irish branch of the Association of Town Centre Management in the UK. [8771/12]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 197: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his strategy regarding the sustainability of town centres; the way such a strategy is to be supported; and the systems to be put in place to monitor performance. [8773/12]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 198: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the need for a national plan driving urban policy throughout the country to ensure strategic planning at the national, regional, local level to protect and promote town centres. [8774/12]

Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 195, 197 and 198 together.

The responsibility for the planning of cities, towns and urban areas is a matter for local authorities. The regeneration of urban areas has been a priority of my Department for some time, and a number of initiatives and programmes have been used to promote regeneration.

A wide range of property-based tax relief schemes were introduced up to the mid 2000s including town renewal and living over the shop schemes. While many important developments were encouraged by these schemes, independent reviews concluded that the tax costs of the initiatives were high relative to the outputs achieved and the Department of Finance is in the process of winding down existing schemes in light of the current economic climate and the ongoing legacy costs of such schemes to the Exchequer as investors use their reliefs and capital allowances.

Similarly, the Urban and Village Renewal Programme 2000-2006, through which grant assistance was provided to local authorities for a range of interventions to upgrade the fabric of the built environment in cities, towns and villages, ended in early 2008. That scheme involved total EU and Exchequer co-financed expenditure of over €158m. The 2007-2013 Urban and Village Regeneration Programme, administered by my Department, was deferred due to budgetary constraints. A comprehensive hierarchy of evidence-based national, regional and local planning policies have been put in place to secure the proper planning and sustainable development of the country as a whole, including urban areas.

The 2002 National Spatial Strategy (NSS) is a twenty-year planning framework designed to achieve a better balance of social, economic and physical development and population growth between regions, including the urban structure of Gateway cities and towns, Hub towns and other towns and villages. The NSS is further elaborated on and implemented through statutory regional planning guidelines across eight regions, which were reviewed in 2010.

A comprehensive review of implementation of the NSS was undertaken during 2010, culminating in the publication in October 2010 of the NSS Update and Outlook Report (available at www.environ.ie ); this addresses a range of issues relevant to urban areas, including the vitality of city and town centres.

In addition, the adoption of updated Regional Planning Guidelines in 2010 for the twelve-year period to 2022, and legislative requirements under the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010 to include new Core Strategies in development plans, are further implementing the NSS within the forward-planning process and ensuring an appropriate policy focus on the importance of urban areas, including city and town centres, for the long term proper planning and sustainable development of the country.

My Department published statutory Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas (Cities, Towns and Villages) in December 2008. The Guidelines are accompanied by an Urban Design manual which sets out practical examples and best practice.

Furthermore, I intend shortly to finalise draft Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Retail Planning on foot of the submissions received during the public consultation process. These Guidelines are aimed, inter alia, at advancing choice for the consumer while promoting and supporting the vitality and viability of city and town centres, and also highlight the options open to planning authorities for the operations of Business Improvement Districts as provided by the Local Government (Business Improvement Districts) Act 2006. I also intend to publish a consultation draft of planning guidelines on Local Area Plans later this year which will also address matters relating to the vitality of city and town centres.

My Department is also working in conjunction with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport on a Manual for Streets which will address design guidance and standards for streetscapes and related shared space, and will be guided by universal design and accessibility principles.

My Department remains committed to working with local government and other community development and enterprise stakeholders to ensure that a recovering economy will result in an even distribution of opportunity. In this regard there is a particular need to target in an integrated way urban areas which face particular problems resulting from both the economic downturn and investments in the past which did not facilitate the development of sustainable communities capable of benefiting from the period of high prosperity or coping with the subsequent downturn. Major regeneration programmes in Ballymun and Limerick together with a range of other remedial works schemes across the country continue to be prioritised to assist in addressing this deficit.

I am therefore satisfied that this policy and legislative framework, together with the suite of existing and proposed planning guidelines, will ensure effective delivery of a sustainable urban policy, but I will continue to keep under review the need for any further provisions in this regard.

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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Question 196: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in respect of the draft sustainable development framework, if this has the involvement of universities; the extent to which the framework evidence is based; if it will include an evaluation of its 1997 predecessor; if it will take into account urban sprawl; and if there is any international best practice exchange with other countries on the development of this document. [8772/12]

Phil Hogan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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Following clearance by Government, a draft Framework for Sustainable Development for Ireland (FSDI) was published for public consultation in December, 2011. A public consultation seminar was held on 24 January, 2011 which was attended by a broad range of stakeholders, including from academia. The consultation period concludes on 29 February, 2011 and it is open to all stakeholders, including universities, to make a submission to my Department.

The FSDI aims to build on the progress made under Sustainable Development, a Strategy for Ireland published in 1997 and is a response to the significant challenges now being faced across a range of economic, social and environmental policy areas. In terms of our approach, the FSDI follows the model of the Renewed EU Sustainable Development Strategy (2006 and 2009) which is based on a gap analysis, identifying areas where limited progress has been made, particularly in terms of the need to decouple natural resource use from economic growth, and outlining actions to address these challenges. The draft FSDI also takes account of developments at international and EU level to deliver an effective transition to an innovative, low carbon and resource efficient economy and to achieve a shift towards greener growth. The preparatory phase also involved an examination of best practice models in terms of national sustainable development strategies in other countries.

Among the thematic areas addressed in the FSDI are Social Inclusion, Sustainable Communities and Spatial Planning. The FSDI examines the complex challenges being faced in this area, including development and settlement patterns that have emerged in the last decade or so. It also identifies gaps that need to be addressed and actions that should be taken in this sector.

It is my intention to seek Government approval for the Framework for Sustainable Development for Ireland following consideration of submissions made during the public consultation phase. The FSDI will form a central element of Ireland's contribution to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) which takes place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012. This major conference marks the 20th anniversary of the 'Earth Summit'. The FSDI will set an overarching framework for the advancement of sustainable development, resource efficiency and green economy agendas in Ireland over a medium to long term time horizon.