Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1999

Guidelines for planning authorities.

3.—(1) The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands shall, after consulting with the Minister, issue guidelines to planning authorities concerning development objectives—

(a) for protecting structures, or parts of structures, which are of special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical interest, and

(b) for preserving the character of architectural conservation areas,

and any such guidelines shall include the criteria to be applied when selecting proposed protected structures for inclusion in the record of protected structures.

(2) The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands may, after consulting with the authorities of any religious denominations which he or she considers necessary, issue guidelines to planning authorities concerning—

(a) the issue of declarations under section 8 in respect of protected structures which are regularly used as places of public worship, and

(b) the consideration by planning authorities of applications for development affecting the interior of such protected structures.

(3) In considering development objectives, a planning authority shall have regard to any guidelines issued under this section.

(4) In this section “development objective” means an objective which, under section 19 of the Principal Act, a planning authority proposes to include in its development plan.