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An Taisce
The National Trust for Ireland
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Protecting
and preserving Ireland's heritage since 1948
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An Taisce have a separate subsite on Development Plans
here...
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Assessing Applications for Local Associations
An Taisce’s Local Associations are responsible for reviewing a wide range of applications. Individual Local Associations will review applications for housing developments, for alterations to Protected Structures, road proposals, extensions and alterations to properties within designated areas such as the Howth SAAO or industrial and leisure developments which may contain EIS’. The assessment must be made against the planning policy context relevant to the development in question and must be based on the context of the application at local, county, and regional level (if appropriate). Applications must therefore be considered within:
- The Planning context; how does the development fit overall with the objectives of the County Development Plan?
- The Local context e.g. location, siting, character of existing development, sthe impact on local traffic flow etc.
- The county context; how will the development impact on the county as a whole (e.g. large retail development having knock on effects) or how will the development set a precedent for other such developments which may be mirrored across the county.
- The regional context; how will the development impact on regional balance; is it in line with the Regional Planning Guidelines for the region in question and the National Spatial Strategy?
The Planning Context
The planning application must be considered within the planning context pertaining to the county. Examples of some of the questions that might be asked in relation to a particular application might be:
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Does the development contravene the current Development Plan?
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Does it meet the objectives of the Development Plan?
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Is the development appropriate for the zoning objective for the location?
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Does the development fulfil requirements in relation to the provision of social and affordable housing (i.e. up to 20% of overall housing provision for developments of four or more houses each county)?
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Does the development impact on the amenity designation of the area? If so, how is this demonstrated in the application?
There are also other county strategy documents and national policy documents that should be reviewed within the context of particular types of applications. These include:
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The National Spatial Strategy
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The County Development Plan
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Regional Planning Guidelines for the region in question
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Dublin Transportation Office “Strategy for Change” document
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DoEHLG Residential Density Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities
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DoEHLG Retail Planning Guidelines for Local Authorities
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The County Retail Strategy
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DoEHLG Architectural Guidelines for Planning Authorities
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The County Waste Management Plan
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The County Housing Strategy
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DoEHLG Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines for Local Authorities
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Local Action Plans (pertaining to certain villages)
An Taisce’s Local Associations are familiar with the principles and key points contained these documents.
The Local Context
Assessment within this context will be made by reviewing the application within the local area, i.e. the character of the town or village, the industrial and/or retail balance of the area, the Protected Structure setting, transportation issues etc. In essence, the assessment will be based on an analysis of how the development impacts on or fits into the local area.
The County Context
Each county will contain its own set of “development contexts”: specific area designation areas; urban and suburban; rural, coastal or upland; industrial or town centre etc. The county should also be considered in relation to its strategic position within the region in question. Consideration should be given to the urban development pressure areas and development issues peculiar to the county in question.
The Regional Context
An Taisce’s Local Associations consider the wider regional context of development as defined in, for example, the Regional Planning Guidelines. Each region contains its own designated growth towns known as “hubs” and “gateways” under the National Spatial Strategy. The designated status of the specific county towns has a major influence over the type and scale of development that should be facilitated within each area in line with the National Spatial Strategy (NSS) and the Regional Guidelines the region in question.
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