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DECLG and RIAI Joint Housing Conference Housing 2020 – Design and Delivery Session 5: Planning and Sustainable Development Niall Cussen Principal Adviser Planning DECLG Proper Planning and Sustainable Development • Vision: serving communities in shaping the future of their places • Leadership: effective structures and relationships • Clarity: concerning delivery • Decisiveness: effective and timely regulatory processes • Fairness: proper oversight and governance • Common Good: taking the long view for long term benefit • People: planning needs people who have all of the above The Planning Service – 50 years old • 2014 – 50th anniversary, but planning constantly evolving • 2000 Act – significant consolidation/ evolution of previous legislation • 2010 Planning Act introduced further significant change to tackle overzoning in particular • 2006: 92,651 planning applications – 81% approved • 2013: 21,288 planning applications – 91% approved • 68% of all planning applications decided within statutory limit of 8 weeks in 2013 • 50 years on - is Ireland’s planning process working? Housing Context • Planning process has a huge role to play in a recovering housing market • Implementation of Construction 2020 is the focus in 2015 • Longer term – we must learn from the mistakes of the past • Sustainable Communities – how will we secure proper plan-led development? • Have we the right tools? systems? attitudes? skills? Planning: Room for Improvement? • Celtic Tiger era exposed a number of strategic shortcomings in Ireland’s planning process that the Mahon Tribunal also concluded on • The publication of the National Spatial Strategy and associated Regional Planning Guidelines (2002 and 2004) established a strategic context for assessment of local authority plans • DECLG began seriously examining these plans in the NSS/RPG context in about 2003 and became concerned about zoning practices – resulting in Ministerial Directions in 2005 and onwards • Substantive reform in 2010 improved strategic focus or LA planning rationalising excessive zoning that would likely never be developed (44k ha in 2009, enough for 1.5m new homes) to 17k ha today • Mahon Tribunal recommendations • Developing a successor for the National Spatial Strategy Construction Strategy 2020 • Several planning specific/related recommendations to enhance the policy and regulatory framework for planning and the co-ordination of implementation • Incorporates Government decision to implement specific recommendations of Mahon to restore public confidence in the planning system • Aims create better tools for implementation and ensure that planning can drive, as much as support, sustainable economic development ensure effective oversight of forward planning to make sure that plans are good/ right and align with Government policies Planning Bill No 1 • Amendment of Part V provisions: focusing on social housing provision (up to 10%) within private housing to promote social integration (Construction Strategy Action 9) • Vacant Site Levy: proactive approach to urban planning and asset management by property owners (CS Action 22) • Mechanism to give retrospective effect to lower development contributions for un-commenced development (CS Action 14) • Mechanism to enable planning authorities to reduce the duration of planning permission for housing where there is evidence of land hoarding (CS Action 20) • Essentially actions to kickstart recovery in housing market and enable pro-active planning and urban renewal Planning Bill 2 • Establishment of an office for planning regulation (OPR) (Mahon – central recommendation) with 3 main areas of operation re (1) assessment of plans, (2) review of LA planning functions (a la Section 255), (3) training of LA councillors, staff, public awareness • Prescribed body for the purposes of preparation of plans - focused review as regards consistency with relevant national policies (NSS/RPG’s S 28 S 29) and will publish all reports and recommendations • OPR to recommend Minister use S31 where serious inconsistency arises • Minister may agree or disagree with OPR and if latter must account to Joint Oireachtas Committee Planning Policy Statement • Published January 2015 coinciding with publication of General Scheme of Bill 2 • Statement of 10 key principles Government seeks to support e.g. Planning must be plan-led and evidence based Proactively drive and support sustainable development Encourage brownfield development Planning will enhance a sense of place • Outline of programme of developmental/reform program in the planning area over the next 2-3 years in relation to (1) ensuring public confidence (2) supporting economic recovery (3) improving customer service and (4) securing quality outcomes • Non-statutory – may be updated/reviewed from time to time Developing a New National Planning Framework… • Ireland 2000 vs 2014 – radically changed circumstances… • Forthcoming Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies of the three Regional Assemblies to run from 2016-2022 require a fresh strategic context… • Infrastructure planning by Irish Water, National Transport Authority, energy grid operators needs a fresh strategic context… • New economic realities require a more focused approach, including on regions… • Wider policy context: climate change adaptation, transitioning to a low carbon economy, economic development, environmental protection… Developing the National Planning Framework • An integrated view of how Ireland should develop strategically • Urban and (not vs) Rural • Competitive, Sustainable Place-Making • Housing and other key property requirements • Connectivity, Resilience, Low Carbon • The Nationally Strategic Developments • Implementation – How? Who? When? How Much • Preparation is about to commence Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies • 3 Regional Assemblies from 1/1/2015 • Key Task: Preparation of Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy to replace current regional planning guidelines in 2016 • Sub-regional dimension to RSES mirroring (largely) NUTS III areas • Will link the National Planning Framework to Local Authority statutory development plans and Local Economic and Community Plans (LECP) • Preparation will be closely linked with National Planning Framework in 2015/2016 What Information do we have/need for new spatial plans? • Huge data advances since 2002 • NIRSA/ESPON • Emerging ESRI work • Regional Indicators Report 2013 • Rationalising will be key Planning and Housing • Major progress in tackling unfinished developments - 2/3rds reduction • Focus now: accelerate delivery of new development in high demand locations - Housing Agency report on Future Housing Requirements projects that a minimum of 37,700 dwellings are required in Dublin over the next 5 years • Immediate supply requirement of 5,663 units in 2014 in the Dublin Region, which rises to a per annum requirement of 8,970 units in 2018 • Dublin Housing Supply and Co-ordination Task Force – chaired by South Dublin Co Co CEO Danny McLoughlin and consisting of DECLG, NAMA, LA, IW, DoF, HA, NTA etc representatives • Two reports Dublin Housing Co-ordination Task Force • First report indicated that in excess of 46,000 new homes can be developed on infrastructurally unconstrained lands zoned for housing development in the development plans of the four Dublin local authority areas • Factors other than the availability of land/pp may be why supply in Dublin (3k units built in 2014) is below predicted requirement e.g. construction/land costs of new build vs second hand prices fundability of new development structure/and organisational capacity of the sector • Second report is on the tranche of lands further to the above that could be brought on stream if infrastructural investment was made Viability of New Development • Much comment on how public policy factors may be affecting viability of new development e.g. Impacts of development charges (4% of cost of typical 3 bed s/d) Building standards Costs of additional development plan requirements Taxes (VAT) • Impact of new Central Bank rules – demand for sub €220,000 home • Viability also has a longer term dimension: Sustainable Communities! • Land cost requires further examination – do house prices determine the value of land or should it be the other way around??? – active land management and mechanisms available for this The Process of Planning • Planning process has become very complex • Interaction with property/constitutional rights makes this necessarily so • But is the process becoming the end in itself? • Challenge for planning practitioners: is the process/law getting in the way of devising/telling a compelling vision? • More “National Conversations” needed What kind of places do we want to live in? What are we prepared to do/pay for to achieve them? What do we want from our planning system? Summary of Future Developments in Planning • National Level: National Planning Framework Planning Bills 2014 and 2015 • Regional Level: Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies • Local Level: City/County Plans Local Economic and Community Plan • Governance - Planning Regulator