Submission from the Southern Regional Assembly (Submission No 400)
Issues / Recommendations / Observations
Chief Executive’s Response & Recommendation
1.1. Overview
Cork City Council welcomes the comments from the SRA and the acknowledgement of the clear alignment of its principles with the NPF, RSES and MASP. Cork City Council would like to acknowledge the support from the SRA in the plan-making process and the detailed submission made in response to the Draft Plan, which is helpful and constructive to the plan-making process. The granular methodology applied in the plan making process uses a bottom- up evidence-based approach to ensure the Draft Plan aligns with strategic planning policies and regulations, in a practical and tangible way. A series of studies informing the Plan have assessed the status of Cork City’s local social, physical and built environment in the context of the many overarching policies set out in the NPF, NDP, RSES, Cork MASP and wide range of Ministerial Guidance and Circulars relevant to delivering development plans. The Cork City Capacity Study 2021 report will be included in the Material Amendments to be placed on public consultation in April 2022. This report will outline a two-year evidence based and iterative process, which includes ongoing input from key internal and external stakeholder. The report also clarifies how the multiple outputs from the plans supporting studies have played a key role in developing the Core Strategy by using a practical, logical and evidenced based approach. The Draft Development Plan Guidelines for Planning Authorities was published in August 2021, while the draft plan was being prepared. The approach applied to deliver the Core Strategy and the Draft Plan aligns with the methodologies and objectives set out in these guidelines. Recommendation: No change to the Draft Plan.
The SRA commends the work that has been undertaken in the preparation of the Draft Plan and the clear alignment of its principles with the National Planning Framework (NPF), Regional Spatial Economic Strategy (RSES) and Cork Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (MASP). The Draft Development Plan has successfully integrated objectives to progress regional priorities sustainably. The SRA consider that the draft development plan, and its core strategy, can achieve consistency with the Regional Spatial and Economic strategy for the Southern Region by addressing the clarification and recommendations set out below. The step-change required at local authority level to ensure that all aspects of the Council’s work is focused on the achievement of the transformation required to achieve the ambitious growth targets is particularly relevant for Cork City Council given it is the largest of the four cities (outside of Dublin) and has the biggest challenge in terms of change.
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