• Need Planning Advice?  
  • Subscriptions  
  • Login  
  • Home
  • About Us
    • About IPI
    • About Us
    • Constitution
    • About Planning
    • Code of Conduct
    • Our People
    • Past Presidents
    • Executive Committees
    • Get Involved
    • Governance
    • Our Sustainability Principles
    • —break—
    • Find a Planner
    • –colbreak—
    • About the IPI
  • News and Research
    • News and Research Overview
    • Member Publications
    • Press Releases
    • IPI Publications
    • IPI in the Media
    • Pleanáil
    • Planners’ Podcast
    • Job Opportunities for Planners
    • –col break–
    • blankbox
    • –col break–
    • Latest News
    • –col break–
    • CPD Presentations
  • Membership
    • IPI Membership Overview
    • Membership Types
    • Membership Benefits
    • 2025 Membership Fees
    • Application Process
    • Joining without an IPI-accredited qualification
    • Professional Competence Test
    • –col break —
    • blank box
    • –colbreak–
    • Join the IPI
    • –col break–
  • Become a Planner
    • Planning Overview
    • Becoming a Planner
    • Accredited Courses
    • Irish Planning Institute Student Awards 2024-2025
    • Education Guidelines (2025)
    • Job Listings
    • Post a new job advert
    • –col break–
    • blank box
    • –col break–
    • Study Planning
    • –colbreak–
    • Job Opportunities
  • IPI Events
    • Events Overview
    • Browse all events
    • About CPD
    • Marine Spatial Planning CPD Series
    • Irish Planning Awards 2025
    • Log CPD
    • –break–
    • blank
    • —break—
    • IPI Events
    • — col break —
    • Your CPD
  • Contact us
  • Find a Planner
  • 0 items

News and Research

Press Release

 

Home / Press Release / “Time for policy to become practice” – Irish Planning Institute calls for joined-up implementation of Climate Action Plan

Quick view posts another from category:

Select a sub category
category
68337fa52f222
1
1
Loading....


  • No categories

 

“Time for policy to become practice” – Irish Planning Institute calls for joined-up implementation of Climate Action Plan

Posted on April 15, 2022June 8, 2022 by Irish Planning Institute

“Time for policy to become practice” – Irish Planning Institute calls for joined-up implementation of Climate Action Plan

  • Planning professions play a key role in the delivery of Climate Action goals
  • Under-resourcing in the planning system a critical issue that requires urgent attention

Kilkenny, 7th April 2022: The Irish Planning Institute (IPI), the largest professional membership organisation for spatial planners in Ireland, has called for a rapid alignment and implementation of planning and climate legislation at all levels following the introduction of new climate legislation and the Climate Action Plan.

Speaking at the Institute’s Annual Planning Conference in Kilkenny today (7th April), Dr Conor Norton, President of the IPI, highlighted that now is the time for policy to become practice in the planning profession, in recognition of the crucial role that planning will play in making climate action a reality.

In his opening address at the conference, which is focused on Planning for Climate Action and is sponsored by Kilkenny County Council, EirGrid and FuturEnergy Ireland, Dr Norton said: “As a society, we will not meet our obligations of moving towards carbon-neutrality if we do not ensure that new climate policy and legislation are fully and rapidly aligned and integrated with planning policy at national, regional, city and county, and local level.”

Dr Norton pointed to the ambitious climate goals set out by Government with regard to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and a 51% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. These will be challenging as Ireland faces the dual tasks of dealing with a legacy of unsustainable development while managing both the substantial growth in population and economy that is envisaged by the National Planning Framework, Dr Norton said.

Planning for climate action will require a much greater emphasis on collaborative plan-making in the planning system, which is not currently in place.  Furthermore, plans at all levels will need to be far more detailed and rigorous if they are to result in the delivery of better places for living, work and recreation.

“While climate action will pose an enormous challenge for planning in the coming years, it will also provide abundant opportunities to create better places and to deliver on critical green and energy infrastructure. Compact and beautiful communities, where walking and cycling are the best options, where local services are easily reached, where work is nearby or connected by public transport, and where the air is fresh and nature is in close proximity, are the hallmarks of low carbon places. Many of the changes needed for climate action are perfectly and naturally in step with good place-making and urban design.” Dr Norton continued.

Planning for climate action will, however, require a new commitment to reorganising and resourcing of the planning system, particularly in local authorities. Under-resourcing must be addressed urgently and new expertise and upskilling in planning for climate action is urgently required. A critical priority, which has not as yet been addressed, is the much-needed expert and coordinating role of the Regional Assemblies in planning for climate action.

Dr Norton also urged professional planners to prepare for changes in how they work and to assess the strategic and local planning options that will be available to them. Climate action will require new processes for planning, and it will inevitably change the decision-making calculus for plan-making and critical projects, said Dr Norton.  Planners can expect a much greater emphasis on targets and ongoing monitoring of plans and development – and will need to adapt their practices accordingly.

Peter Lynch, CEO of FuturEnergy Ireland said: “The latest IPCC climate report, published on April 4, clearly highlights how the window of opportunity to contain global warming is rapidly closing, with more targeted and urgent action required, including increased and faster adoption of renewable energy. Separately, the EU has recently announced its plan to dramatically accelerate the clean energy transition in response to energy security issues triggered by the Ukrainian conflict. The European Commission’s plan includes proposals to simplify and shorten the permitting process and to apply a favoured status to renewables infrastructure.  Our planning system is now centre stage, and the biggest enabler for ensuring that Ireland can support the delivery of more renewable energy projects that contribute additional clean, green electricity to the grid, to our businesses and to our homes.”

Michael Mahon, EirGrid Chief Infrastructure Officer, said: “We have a key role in moving to clean, renewable energy and helping the country meet its climate change goals. We look forward to working closely with planning professionals throughout the country over the coming years as we transform the national electricity grid and deliver a cleaner energy future.”

Dr Norton concluded that: “Planning can deliver on climate action, but it must be aligned at all levels of the hierarchy of climate policy and plans. Critical pieces in that hierarchy will need to be addressed, such as planning for regional climate action, and local communities must be empowered with finding local solutions for local climate action.”

(Ends)

Press Release Latest News

 

 

FIND US

Irish Planning Institute

17 Kildare Street, Dublin 2, D02 P766, Ireland

Director(s): See About Us Pages

t:  +353 (0)1-8788630

e:  [email protected]

The Irish Planning Institute is a company limited by guarantee without share capital, registered in Ireland. Company Registration Number: 97882.


CONTACT US

 

Got a question?

Contact us by emailing [email protected] and we will get back to you ASAP.
(Please remember to check your spam folder if you're waiting for a response from us)

    Follow us on social media

 


Job Listings

  • Our Recent Job Listings
    • Senior Planner – South Dublin County Council
    • Planning Research Assistant – Cairn
    • Planning Project Manager – Cairn
  • For more roles please click here.

     

    ©2025 Irish Planning Institute / Sitemap / Privacy


    ©2025 Irish Planning Institute / Privacy / Sitemap

    We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
    Cookie SettingsAccept All
    Manage consent

    Privacy Overview

    This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
    Necessary
    Always Enabled
    Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
    CookieDurationDescription
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
    cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
    viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
    Functional
    Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
    Performance
    Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
    Analytics
    Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
    Advertisement
    Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
    Others
    Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
    SAVE & ACCEPT