Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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264. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide clarification on the national policy objective 3b from the national planning framework; if this means that 50% of development in the greater Dublin region would have to happen in Dublin city and suburbs or County Dublin; and if it could also occur in urban areas in surrounding counties. [44378/17]

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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265. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will provide clarification on the national policy objective 3b with regard to the meaning of immediately adjoining suburban areas in each of the five cities. [44379/17]

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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270. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he will define all suburbs for each city for the purposes of national policy objective 8 in the draft version of the national planning framework. [44384/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 264, 265 and 270 together.

The draft National Planning Framework (NPF) was published at the end of last month and is currently undergoing its final public consultation phase. This is due to end in early November, following which submissions will be reviewed with a view to finalising the NPF before the end of the year.

In the preparation of the Framework, securing better planning and development outcomes from the form of Ireland's urban development patterns was highlighted as one of the most significant national development challenges in terms of a move away from an extensive, medium- to low-density form of development that is very difficult and costly to service from an infrastructural development perspective, towards a more compact urban development based approach.

Accordingly. National Policy Objective 3b states:

‘At least half (50%) of all new homes in the five cities and immediately adjoining suburban areas of Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford would be delivered within the built-up envelope of existing urban settlements’.

The practical effect of this is that at least 50% of all new residential development targeted for each of the five cities would occur within the above defined areas, which in the case of Dublin and all four other cities, is the City and suburbs as defined and mapped by the Central Statistics Office (CSO). In relation to Dublin, this does not equate to Dublin County but in broad terms, includes the contiguous built-up area and associated in-fill and new development areas. This contiguous built-up area also includes some lands in the counties around Dublin.

Outside each of the five cities and their suburbs, it is a further target that at least 30% of new residential development would be accommodated within the existing built-up envelope i.e. town and suburbs, of other urban areas, some of which may be in surrounding counties.

With regard to the meaning of ‘immediately adjoining suburban areas’, this relates to the area within the existing built-up envelope of all sizes of urban settlement, as defined and mapped by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in line with UN criteria i.e. having a minimum of 50 occupied dwellings, with a maximum distance between any dwelling and the building closest to it of 100 metres, and where there is evidence of an urban centre (shop, school etc.).

Moreover, National Policy Objective 8 states:

‘Ensure that the targeted pattern of population growth of Ireland’s cities and large towns to 2040 is proportionate, in accordance with the targets set out in Table 3.1.’

The suburbs for each city under National Policy Objective 8 are as defined by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), i.e. in line with UN criteria referred to above. For development purposes, they must also include immediately adjoining i.e. contiguous, zoned development land that would, if developed, form part of an updated city/town and suburban area in accordance with the CSO definition.

Given that a majority of ‘greenfield’ development outside the built-up envelope of an urban settlement occurs at the suburban edge, the definition of the CSO is dynamic and changes in relation to each Census of Population.

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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266. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if the national smart growth initiative will be funded under the existing capital plan 2016 to 2021 and under the capital plan post-2022; the amount of funding that will be available under the initiative; and the planned purpose of the initiative. [44380/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The draft National Planning Framework (NPF), titled Ireland 2040: Our Plan, was published at the end of September and is currently undergoing its final public consultation phase.  The public consultation phase will conclude in early November, following which submissions will be reviewed with a view to finalising the Framework before the end of the year together with a 10-year national investment plan being progressed by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform.  From the close cooperation between both Departments, I expect the long-term investment plan to include measures to promote the smart development principles outlined in the NPF.    

The interaction and alignment between the NPF and the 10-year National Investment Plan is currently being refined and will also need to take account of the outputs from the ongoing public consultation on the NPF.  In the meantime, my Department will be working to ensure that its capital allocations over the period 2018 to 2021 are deployed in a manner that supports and drives implementation of the NPF, especially as regards measures to consolidate and regenerate key parts of the urban fabric in our cities and towns and through capital investment in housing and water infrastructure, in particular.

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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267. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the position in the event that the Houses of the Oireachtas do not vote in affirmation of the national planning framework as approved by the Government; and if there will be scope for amendments to the initial plan and-or future iterations by the Houses of the Oireachtas. [44381/17]

Barry Cowen (Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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268. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the length of time he plans to give the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government to scrutinise the final draft of the national planning framework before submitting it to all Members of the Houses of the Oireachtas for a vote; and if members of the committee will have an opportunity to make amendments to the final draft of the plan after it is approved by Cabinet. [44382/17]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 267 and 268 together.

The Government places a high degree of value on Oireachtas guidance and input into the finalisation of the National Planning Framework, and has clearly signalled its intention to honour the spirit of the new legislative provisions underpinning the Framework proposed in the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2017, which is currently at Dáil Report Stage.  This is being given effect through engaging proactively with Deputies and Senators to gather views and perspectives on the final draft of the Framework which was approved for publication by the Government at the end of September for consideration in finalising the Framework before the end of the year.

Extensive stakeholder and public consultation has already been undertaken at national, regional and local level since the NPF preparations began in 2014 to ensure early input and buy-in at community and citizen level, as well as with key policy-makers and representative organisations.  Over 30 workshops and regional and local seminars were held over Summer/Autumn 2016 to prompt and inform debate and a shared sense of ownership of Ireland 2040.  A further 9 regional road-show events were organised during the formal initial 8-week public consultation process in February/March 2017, which generated nearly 700 detailed submissions which were considered fully.  The NPF has also been the subject of earlier discussion at a number of Oireachtas Committee sessions.

The period of this final public consultation process closes on 3 November, acknowledging the importance of having the adopted Framework in place as early as possible to set a locational and policy context for the adoption of the Government’s 10-year National Investment Plan, also to be finalised before the year-end, as well as supporting wider joined-up strategies in a range of priority policy areas such as housing, economic development and climate change.  I believe that the period for the final round of consultation, up to 3 November, provides adequate time for consideration of the draft NPF and for the making of submissions.  I know that the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government is already progressing its consideration of the NPF and, in that context, I had an opportunity to meet with the Committee on 18 October.  I look forward to considering carefully all submissions received through the consultation process.

It is also important to note that enactment of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill will establish the NPF on a statutory footing, putting in place, through the new Office of the Planning Regulator, a regular process, including Oireachtas involvement, of monitoring, review and updating of the Framework and its successor strategies, much as in the manner of local authority development plans. In addition, the processes to develop the supporting Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies in each of the three regions has already begun and this work is targeted for completion before the end of 2018.