downloads/RPGs/Border Regional Authority RPGs 2010-2022.pdf

Border Regional Authority Planning Guidelines 2010 – 2022 – CHAPTER 1
Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The HDA follows the key procedural stages as laid out in EU
and National Guidance. The stages are as follows:
• Stage 1: Screening;
• Stage 2: Appropriate Assessment;
• Stage 3: Assessment of alternative solutions;
• Stage 4: Assessment where no alternative solutions exist and where adverse impacts remain.
The policies and objectives of the RPGs have also been systematically assessed through the Habitats
Directive Assessment to determine their impact on the Natura 2000 network, both in-situ and ex-situ. The
Habitats Directive Assessment Report is a supporting document which should be read and considered in
parallel with these Guidelines.
1.2 PURPOSE OF THE NEW REGIONAL PLANNING GUIDELINES
A vision for the Border Region, and a number of strategic goals required to achieve that vision have been
set out in Chapter 2. The revised Guidelines will provide a strategic planning framework to deliver the
above, and will focus on the following key areas:-
• A new Regional Settlement Strategy to structure and focus development potential across the
Region;
• An update of regional, county and key settlement estimates of population and housing needs,
including specific estimates to be applied to future reviews of County Development Plans;
• A new Regional Economic Strategy which outlines the future enterprise potential and related
development, as and when they arise during the course of the life of the next Regional Planning
Guidelines;
• Those strategic infrastructure investments likely to be made within the life of each RPG, or that
have been identified in national level plans, and need to be provided for in the longer term in more
local level planning;
• Updating the approach with regard to other important objectives for RPG’s, in relation to for
example, climate change, sustainable development etc.
• Carrying out of a complementary high-level Strategic Environmental Assessment, Appropriate
Assessment (AA) and Strategic Flood Risk Assessment of the selected regional settlement and
infrastructure strategies, and outlining where critical issues may arise to be dealt with in
city/county plans
The main objective of the Regional Planning Guidelines is to provide a long-term strategic planning
framework for the development of the Border Region. In doing this, Section 23 (4) (a) of the Planning and
Development Act States that:-
‘When making regional planning guidelines the regional authority shall take account of the proper planning
and sustainable development of the whole of the region to which the guidelines relate, the statutory
obligations of any local authority in the region and any relevant policies or objectives for the time being of
the Government or of any Minister of the Government, including any national plans, policies or strategies
specified by the Minister to be of relevance to the determination of strategic planning policies’
It is expected that new Regional Planning Guidelines will be adopted by mid-2010 and will be the subject of
a further review in 2016.
1.3 SUMMARY PROFILE of THE BORDER REGION
The Border Region derives its name from its location in relation to Northern Ireland (NI). It comprises the six
counties of Donegal, Sligo, Leitrim, Cavan, Monaghan and Louth, which form the border with Northern
Ireland, providing the key interface between the two jurisdictions.
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