The Irish Planning Institute, the leading all-island professional membership organisation for spatial planners, has welcomed the publication today of the draft revised National Planning Framework (NPF) for public consultation.

IPI President Gavin Lawlor said: “We welcome the publication of the revised National Planning Framework for public consultation. The NPF is critical to shaping our society for decades to come, influencing how we make important decisions when tackling key long-term challenges such as climate change, effective and balanced regional development, housing a growing, diverse and ageing population, and ensuring high-quality built environments and sustainable communities throughout Ireland.

“The revised NPF will inform and influence the whole planning system which is essential to sustainable development. There are challenging decisions facing Ireland in the coming years in terms of where and how sustainable growth, renewable energy projects, and critical infrastructure are delivered and the revised NPF must be effective, evidence-led and have a greater impact to help drive the changes and investment that are needed. Importantly, the revised NPF should set a baseline for our ambition, and not be seen as setting a ceiling for future development.

“Government must adequately resource the planning system at national, regional and local levels across the public, semi state and private sectors to ensure action matches ambition. If we are to deliver the housing, services and infrastructure required to support sustainable communities to 2040 and beyond this has to be a key priority for government.

“The Irish Planning Institute will be assessing the draft revised NPF against these priorities and we would urge all stakeholders to participate and engage in the consultation process, given the opportunity to influence the long-term face of Ireland that it presents.”