The National Spatial Strategy

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The National Spatial Strategy
Where did it come from?Where is it
going?John Laffan(ex) Spatial Policy
SectionDepartment of Environment, Heritage
Local GovernmentAthlone Institute of Technology,
15 April 2005
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(No Transcript)
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Some background

• Spatial Planning in Ireland
• 88 planning authorities
• Traditionally, planning focused at the local
  (city, county, town) levels
• Pre 2002, no national spatial framework, but
  national investment programmes and national
  policy guidance
• Pre 2004, no regional spatial frameworks except
  for city region type spatial frameworks
• Centralised (Govt) administration of capital
  programmes

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Background to the NSS

• From EC accession, no desire to regionalise /
  develop a spatial policy approachbut
• Convergence of factors Celtic Tiger late
  90s..
• Debate emerged around national and regional
  (spatial) policy(NESC IDA various Govt Papers)
• National Development Plan Balanced Regional
  Development a new horizontal policy theme
• NDP commitment to prepare the National Spatial
  Strategy
• NSS published by Government November 2002

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NSS Implementation
Regional/Local
National
NSS Implementation
RPG policies and proposals (Spatial)
Departmental policies and priorities (Sectoral)
Development Plans
NSS Steering Group
Local Plans
DoEHLG
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Why Spatial - Underlying factors

• Recognition that Ireland (Inc) needed a more
  strategic approach to planning
• Dept of Finance recognised role of spatial
  framework in organising a major capital spending
  programme
• Parts of Ireland performing differentlyleads to
  political mobilisation that something needs to
  be done

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NSS Main Aims

• More Balanced Regional Development
• A potential based strategy rather than
  redistributive
• Seeks to maximise development potential through
  accelerated development at strategic locations
  (Gateways)
• optimising policies spatially and sectorally
  to maximise potential at a range of other
  locations
• alsostrengthen the strategic outlook of the
  planning system within Govt and Local Govt

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NSS Main Policy Instruments

• Exist at three levels
• National influencing capital and other
  investment programmes of key Govt Departments and
  Agencies(Transport, Education, Communications,
  Enterprise)
• Regional Regional Planning Guidelines to act
  as an integrating/co-ordinating framework for
  local authorities
• Local Better spatial plans, particularly at
  city and county levels, more strategic outlook,
  more focused, more ambitious

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Structuring Implementation Functions
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Implementation Where we are now

• NSS well reflected in Dept/Agency plans eg
  DoT Statement of Strategy
• Input to mid term evaluation of NDP capital
  envelopes to support NSS
• Regional Planning Guideliness in place across
  the country
• Plans at gateway level are generally in place

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Major projects supporting NSS roll-out

• Continued roll-out of broadband capacity under
  MANS programme 2nd phase to cover all towns with
  population of more than 1,500
  business/residential demand outside towns also to
  get support on grouped basis
• Environmental Infrastructure Programme Main
  drainage programmes for Gateway cities
• Roads Significant acceleration of programme,
  completion of Major Interurban Routes by 2010
• Public Transport by 2007/8 hourly service
  Dublin Cork two hourly service to all other
  regional destinationssome improvements in
  regional rail linesmajor investment in bus
  fleets, facilities and services.

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Major projects supporting NSS roll-out (2)

• DOEHLG requirement that water services and
  non-national roads investment support NSS
• Significant investment in hospitals and other
  healthcare facilities in gateways continues e.g.
  in Limerick, Galway, Tullamore
• Decentralisation programme
• Industrial Policy IDA commitment to developing
  regional magnets 5 potential strategic sites
  for large scale projects in Cork, Dundalk,
  Galway, Limerick and Waterford Enterprise
  Ireland supporting incubation facilities at 11
  ITs plus Webworks at Cork, Galway, Limerick,
  Sligo and Waterford
• Shannon 2020 Strategy/Atlantic Corridor looking
  towards networking Cork, Limerick, Galway

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National Implementation Key Points

• NDP and NSS already well aligned
• Much NDP investment is catch-up eg national
  roads network, broadband, public transport
• Key issue - shaping investment post 2006
• NSS needs to be transparently influencing the
  capital envelopes eg (gateway investment)

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Implementation at Regional Level

• Regional Planning Guidelines completed on time
• DoE guidance on implementation issued
• Operational arrangements to support RPG
  implementation being put in place eg
• Review of development plans to support RPGs
• Implementation committee
• Investment prioritisation
• Development of further policy
• Monitoring and Review

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RPGs where they fit in planning policy terms

NSS
Regional Guidelines

• Other Local Level Plans e.g.
• CDB strategies
• Capital programmes
• Housing Strategy
• Corporate Plan

• Other National Level Plans/Guidelines e.g.
• Capital programmes
• Guidelines
• Urban Village Renewal programmes
• Serviced Land

Development Plans
Local Plans
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Implementation at local level

• Ambitious but realistic development frameworks
  to support gateways, hubs and other strategically
  important towns are central to NSS/RPG
  implementation
• Success of CASP in Cork 90m euro investment
  in public transport
• Galway Transportation and Planning Study
  adoptedmajor growth planned in Ardaun corridor
• Riverside City initiative being pursued in
  Limerick by Limerick City Council, Shannon
  Development and Port Co.
• Growth focused strategy for Sligo City and
  Environs
• Waterford PLUTS shows imagination and
  consistency with NSS
• Next steps implementation and potential for
  hubs and other (county) towns (Carlow, Clonmel,
  Dungarvan, Wexford)

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National Transport Network
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DoT Investment will leverage 20,000 new
homes50 million in potential
contributionsCritical mass of Cork boosted to
2020Effective co-operation between DoT/IE and
PAsEffective response by central Govt to a
prudentregional/local proposal
Other RPGs point to similar types of
possibilities.
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2005 Big Issues

• We will be increasingly moving from plan making
  to plan implementationmore effective
  co-ordination between regional/local planning and
  Govt. Dept. programmes
• Public investment support for implementing
  NSS..particular emphasis on gateways
• Improve Departmental buy in.starting with
  DoE!!
• Monitoring/Researchto tell us if and when the
  NSS is workingplugging in to EU thinking

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NSS Cross-border Issues

• Cross Borderwith a review of NI NSS
  approaching
• Clear cross border collaborative framework
• Cross Bordermuch to be potentially gained from
  knowledge transfer

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2005 Business PlanPriority Areas

• National
• Continued co-operation with DoT and enterprise
  agencies
• DoE implementation team
• NSS input to post NDP scenario
• Rural Housing guidelines
• Draft development plan guidelines
• Performance indicators for monitoring NSS
  implementation

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2005Priority Areas

• Regional
• Guidance on transposition of RPGs
• RPG Implementation Groups
• Atlantic Gateways report presented to Govt
• Awareness of RPGs heightened in Govt Depts etc

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2005 Business PlanPriority Areas

• Local
• transposition of RPGs to DPs
• Support preparation of integrated planning
  frameworks for gateways and hubs
• On-going assessment of draft city and county
  plans

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Summary

• First NSS implementation phase was about policy
  frameworks
• Second phase Implementation and Refinement
• Supporting Regional Planning Guideline
  implementation at national and local levels
• Shaping the macro-investment agenda post 2006
• Shared strategic agenda at local level
  straddling administrative boundaries

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Ireland - International Spatial Context
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NSS Influence of European Spatial Thinking

• ESDP had just emerged as NSS work started
• Hugely influential is shaping thinking, eg
• 22 Research reports
• Research links strengthening, NIRSA, UCD..
• Future needs?

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ESPONlinks with other researchers

• NSS implementation recognises role for ongoing
  research
• Sense of working away on our own..
• Much hunger for input of european experienceeg
  Gateway Study..
• Need to look at beyond Pentagon issues eg
  co-ordination of growth promotion / management
  also innovative approaches periurban
  managementsustainable settlement