Planning and Development Act, 2000

Content of development plans.

10.—(1) A development plan shall set out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area of the development plan and shall consist of a written statement and a plan or plans indicating the development objectives for the area in question.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), a development plan shall include objectives for—

(a) the zoning of land for the use solely or primarily of particular areas for particular purposes (whether residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, recreational, as open space or otherwise, or a mixture of those uses), where and to such extent as the proper planning and sustainable development of the area, in the opinion of the planning authority, requires the uses to be indicated;

(b) the provision or facilitation of the provision of infrastructure including transport, energy and communication facilities, water supplies, waste recovery and disposal facilities (regard having been had to the waste management plan for the area made in accordance with the Waste Management Act, 1996 ), waste water services, and ancillary facilities;

(c) the conservation and protection of the environment including, in particular, the archaeological and natural heritage and the conservation and protection of European sites and any other sites which may be prescribed for the purposes of this paragraph;

(d) the integration of the planning and sustainable development of the area with the social, community and cultural requirements of the area and its population;

(e) the preservation of the character of the landscape where, and to the extent that, in the opinion of the planning authority, the proper planning and sustainable development of the area requires it, including the preservation of views and prospects and the amenities of places and features of natural beauty or interest;

(f) the protection of structures, or parts of structures, which are of special architectural, historical, archaeological, artistic, cultural, scientific, social or technical interest;

(g) the preservation of the character of architectural conservation areas;

(h) the development and renewal of areas in need of regeneration;

(i) the provision of accommodation for travellers, and the use of particular areas for that purpose;

(j) the preservation, improvement and extension of amenities and recreational amenities;

(k) the control, having regard to the provisions of the Major Accidents Directive and any regulations, under any enactment, giving effect to that Directive, of—

(i) siting of new establishments,

(ii) modification of existing establishments, and

(iii) development in the vicinity of such establishments,

for the purposes of reducing the risk, or limiting the consequences, of a major accident;

(l) the provision, or facilitation of the provision, of services for the community including, in particular, schools, crèches and other education and childcare facilities, and

(m) the protection of the linguistic and cultural heritage of the Gaeltacht including the promotion of Irish as the community language, where there is a Gaeltacht area in the area of the development plan.

(3) Without prejudice to subsection (2), a development plan may indicate objectives for any of the purposes referred to in the First Schedule .

(4) The Minister may prescribe additional objectives for the purposes of subsection (2) or for the purposes of the First Schedule .

(5) (a) A development plan shall contain information on the likely significant effects on the environment of implementing the plan.

(b) The Minister may by regulations make further provisions in relation to the manner in which paragraph (a) may be complied with.

(6) Where a planning authority proposes to include in a development plan any development objective the responsibility for the effecting of which would fall on another local authority, the planning authority shall not include that objective in the plan except after consultation with the other local authority.

(7) A development plan may indicate that specified development in a particular area will be subject to the making of a local area plan.

(8) There shall be no presumption in law that any land zoned in a particular development plan (including a development plan that has been varied) shall remain so zoned in any subsequent development plan.