• Institute also calls for establishment of free Planning & Environmental Advice Service for the public
• Urges financial incentives for refurbishing buildings and review of listing system for heritage buildings as current system “too crude” 
• Tara Buckley of RGDATA calls for Town Centre Health Checks to avert decline of rural towns; Richard Guiney of DublinTown urges towns to plan for future or risk dying

At its annual conference in Athlone, the Irish Planning Institute has today called for the immediate establishment of the Office of the Planning Regulator if Ireland is to avert repeating its past planning mistakes. The Institute also believes that there has never been a better time to appoint a Minister for Planning & Housing at Cabinet level in recognition of the crucial role that planning has to play in addressing the current housing crisis and in creating sustainable and vibrant living communities.

The two-day conference was officially opened by Deirdre Fallon, President of the Irish Planning Institute, who used her address to outline some key planning priorities for the next Government. Among the Institute’s key recommendations are: 

• the need to set up a free Planning and Environmental Advice Service, along the lines of the UK’s Planning Aid service, for members of the public, and to encourage greater public participation in the development plan process and planning system
• the need to update the current “crude” listing system for heritage buildings and to introduce financial incentives to offset concerns about the cost of refurbishing buildings
• the need to provide legislative clarity around the term “planner” 

The conference is being attended by planning professionals, engineers, architects, surveyors, regulatory officials, property and housing professionals, and policy-makers. Among the key speakers are Conall Boland, Deputy Chairperson of An Bord Pleanála, Gregory Jones QC, chair of the recently-published review of An Bord Pleanála, Tara Buckley, RGDATA, Richard Guiney, DublinTown, and Karl Deeter of Irish Mortgage Brokers.

Planning for the Future

Deirdre Fallon, President of the Irish Planning Institute sounded a note of caution on repeating the planning mistakes of the past:

“There are clear pressures to deliver on new housing but we must be careful not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Rather we must continue to focus on the right development in the right place with the right infrastructure, to ensure quality and long-term viability. We need to address the significant shortage of planners in local authorities around the country. New legislation is required that provides for clarity on the term ‘planner’ to reinforce public confidence and to emphasise that professional planners are suitably qualified professionals with high educational standards and are bound by a professional code of ethics. 

“Further, there is a clear need for the immediate establishment of the Office of the Planning Regulator, with full enforcement powers to ensure that the recommendations of the Mahon Tribunal are fully implemented and that the Office of the Planning Regulator can operate as an independent body. A new Minister for Planning and Housing at Cabinet rank should be appointed to take senior responsibility for the critical planning and housing issues facing our communities and to co-ordinate a comprehensive cross-Government response.

“We also need to encourage greater public engagement and community involvement in planning, through public education on the development plan process and on the planning system so that people can make a real contribution at a critical stage in the planning process. Consideration should be given to the establishment of a free Planning and Environmental Advice Service, such as the UK’s Planning Aid service, aimed at individuals and communities who perhaps do not have the knowledge and the resources to access the planning system. 

“Ireland’s historic environment and heritage is an economic asset and in 2011 was estimated as accounting for €1.5 billion or 1 per cent of the State’s Gross Value Added (GVA) and approximately 65,000 jobs1. A comprehensive package of financial incentives would offset concerns about the cost of refurbishing buildings and encourage living in city and town centres to improve quality of life and the vibrancy and attractiveness of city and town centres. Furthermore, the Irish Planning Institute believes that the current system of listing of heritage buildings is too crude and that a grading system for protected buildings should be introduced.”

Town Centre Health Checks

Tara Buckley, Director General of RGDATA—the Retail, Grocery, Dairy and Allied Trades Association—called for the development of a National Town Centre Management Strategy that would include mandatory Town Centre Health Checks: 

“We all know that a lot of our ‘ugly planning’ has been driven by people who are not professional planners. Local Authorities have a central responsibility to drive new initiatives to regenerate towns. A key step to assist them is the adoption of a National Strategy on Town Centre Management. To do this properly we must start with Town Centre Health Checks. RGDATA and the Heritage Council have devised a draft Town Centre Health Check pilot strategy to assist in the development of Town Plans. Town centre revival will not happen if we do not develop policies that encourage people to live in town centres. New urban regeneration tax schemes will be required to kick-start investment in some towns and villages. Out-of-town and edge-of-town retail development act as a counter-attraction to town centres and suck trade from town centre businesses. If these are the models of retailing that Irish people want to support, then they must be aware of the collective societal price in terms of desolate towns and villages.”

Richard Guiney, CEO of DublinTown, is sounding a warning bell for the future of towns that fail to act now: 

“Towns in Ireland are experiencing a time of rapid change. If they do not plan for the 21st century, there is no guarantee that towns on the map today will be still viable destinations in 25 years’ time. In assessing their long-term viability, towns need to engage with their local populations, assessing how relevant their town is to their needs and understanding how they can best hold onto their best and brightest young people. Shopping malls and retail parks continuously use consumer research techniques to ascertain public perceptions of their offer—towns have to do likewise. One common theme in successful locations and particularly those which have been transformed into vibrant destinations is a genuine partnership and shared vision between the public and private sectors. Things will change and towns will die if they do not start to take action now. Standing still is not an option.”

The conference sees delegates undertake a number of field visits, including a Town Centre Revitalisation Walking Tour and an Urban Synergies Bus Tour. The Athlone town centre tour by Westmeath County Council will take in Athlone Shopping Centre, Luan Gallery, Athlone Castle and the Left Bank Quarter. The Urban Synergies tour takes in Athlone Institute of Technology and the International Arena, the restoration of the old railway buildings in Garrycastle, the greenway to Moate, and the Dún na Sí Heritage Centre.

ENDS

Issued by: Don Delaney, d2 communications, tel.: 087 7933249/email [email protected]

About the Irish Planning Institute

Founded in 1975, the Irish Planning Institute is the all-island professional body representing the majority of professional planners engaged in physical, spatial and environmental planning in Ireland. Members work in central government, private practice, agencies, third level institutes, and planning authorities in the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and overseas. 

1 Economic Value of Ireland’s Historic Environment. Final Report to the Heritage Council, prepared by Ecorys in partnership with Fitzpatrick Associates. Available at www.heritagecouncil.ie