John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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233. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government further to his stated ambition for Waterford city to double in size by 2040, if his attention has been drawn to the fact that there is a strategic plan in place, adopted by both Kilkenny and Waterford local authorities, to provide for Waterford city to double in size, with 42% of the planned growth provided for in Kilkenny. [21776/17]

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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234. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government his views on whether Kilkenny County Council has not in any way impeded the growth of Waterford city, in view of the fact all of Kilkenny's plans correspond with the adopted PLUTS. [21777/17]

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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235. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that as the lead authority and the gateway city of the south-east region, Waterford has ignored Kilkenny's many requests to set up the implementation group to progress implementation of the PLUTS. [21778/17]

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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236. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that Waterford County Council, despite giving assurances to the south-east region authority as far back as 2012 that it would meet its obligations under the national retail planning guidelines published by his department to prepare a joint retail strategy, has not convened meetings with the adjoining authority to progress preparation of the strategy. [21779/17]

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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237. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if he will use his powers under the Planning and Development Act 2000 and the Local Government Act 2001 as referenced by the boundary committee, and put the PLUTS and or its successor on a statutory footing or require a joint plan be prepared and adopted by both authorities. [21780/17]

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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238. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the five local authorities in the south east have endorsed a joint submission to the national planning framework for the south east Waterford city east and that all five local authorities in the region share the same objectives in relation to the growth of Waterford city and the priorities to deliver same. [21781/17]

Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 233 to 238, inclusive, together.

As part of the preparation of the new National Planning Framework (NPF), entitled Ireland 2040: Our Plan, extensive pre-draft public consultation has been conducted on the Issues and Choices paper, published on 2 February, which attracted over 3,300 submissions, including a joint submission from the five local authorities in the south east region to which the Deputy refers.  Their submission and others received highlight the enhanced role that the development of Waterford city should play in a wider national context.

My Department is currently reviewing all relevant submissions to inform the preparation of the draft NPF for further consideration by Government in the coming months before being formally circulated for formal consultation over the Summer, with the aim of finalising the Framework before the end of the year, as I have previously outlined.

In relation to the implementation issues raised by the Deputy with regard to the non-statutory Planning Land Use and Transport Strategy (PLUTS) for Waterford and the initiation of a regional retail strategy for Waterford and its environs, as recommended in the Planning Guidelines on Retail Planning, issued by the then Minister in April 2012, I understand that previous efforts to prepare a joint retail strategy between Waterford County Council, Waterford City Council and Kilkenny County Council did not progress due to a lack of agreement between the parties. 

With regard to the issues raised by the Deputy in relation to the broader strategic positioning of Waterford and the roles of the relevant local authorities in activating the potential of the city through collaborative efforts, my Department is aware of the level of ambition in current statutory plans, which aim for a city population of 80,000 persons rather than the 100,000 people suggested by the Deputy and I can confirm that the importance of Waterford in regional and national terms has been well recognised by my Department and by Government. For example, the North Quays in Waterford have been designated as a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ) in 2016, only the second SDZ designated outside Dublin.

In addition, the Government's Capital Investment Plan 2016-2021 has committed to providing investment for certain enabling works in key areas.  The next stage of the SDZ process will be the publication of a draft planning scheme for public consultation which I am expecting later this year. Through this designation and the subsequent planning scheme, there is a unique opportunity to unlock the considerable potential of the North Quays to drive significant economic development within the heart of Waterford City.

The SDZ designation, coupled to the recent announcement of €4 million ERDF funding for urban regeneration projects within the City and previous National Development Plan funded investment in the M9 motorway, public transport upgrades and water services infrastructure, demonstrates the commitment by Government to activating the potential of Waterford and other regional cities and this will be further elaborated on in the forthcoming National Planning Framework. I believe that a shared funding commitment by both Waterford City and County Council and Kilkenny County Council to local infrastructure enhancements to projects such as the SDZ will be a key enabler. 

Building on the broader national level investment context both in previous years and into the future as well as the National Planning Framework, I believe that we must now examine all potential mechanisms to bring the relevant stakeholders, including local authorities, together to put in place the  strategic local planning and infrastructure delivery and funding mechanisms necessary to properly harness the under-utilised development potential in Waterford, now that key national enablers for its development such as access have been substantially improved. I have also indicated that I will be addressing relevant local government issues in the report to be submitted to Government and the Oireachtas under the Programme for Partnership Government in mid-2017.

Finally, in relation to my powers under the Planning Act to bring local authorities together in respect of their forward planning functions and the question raised by the Deputy in relation to putting the PLUTS on a statutory footing, there is no requirement for the Minister to do so.  Indeed, the appropriate fora for the adoption of such PLUTS within a statutory context are the relevant local authorities, through the inclusion of such commitments as policy in their respective Development Plans. More widely, these are also matters more properly addressed in the context of the implementation aspects of the National Planning Framework, whose progression is a major priority for my Department and Government later this year.