PLAN4ALL CONFERENCEPLAN4ALL CONFERENCE

Land Use Management ChallengesLand Use Management Challenges

Bruce McCormackBruce McCormackPresident President

European Umbrella Organisation for Geographic InformationEuropean Umbrella Organisation for Geographic InformationEUROGIEUROGI

Presentation to the Plan4All Conference, Brussels, 13 October 2011

Outline of Presentation

Why have a land management system

Some key issues to be addressed in a land management system

Ireland: boom …. bust …. planning response

Conclusion

Why have a Land Management System

Manage externalities

Key Land Use Management Issues

Basic issuesBalance …. public good vs private good

Locus and nature of control …. national, regional, local

Tools to be used ….. Plans only vs plans & financial mechanisms

Other issuesHow involve public

Plan period

How variations to plan are made to accommodate change

Enforcement arrangements

Appeals

Etc etc etc

Ireland … boom and bust

Irish House Completions

0

20000

40000

60000

80000

100000

1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 37

1975 to 2011(est)

No

. D

wel

lin

gs

In the boom times ……..

Excessive number of houses built

Excessive rise in house prices

Excessive mortgage indebtedness

Excessive amount of land zoned for residential use

Poorly located land zoned for residential use

Excessive provision of infrastructure services for poorly located land

Excessive amount of commercial property development

The crunch

OUCH …….. IT HURTSSteep rise in unemploymentBanks go bustState finances go badly wrongSteep rise in negative equity

HOW DID IT GO SO BADLY WRONG?Many reasonsPlanning played its part ……. legitimising and facilitating the property related excesses

Planning response

Amendment to Planning ActCore Strategies

Alignment of national, regional and local plans

National government sets regional & gateway/hub population targets

National planning information system

Core Strategies

Population targets in Development Plans need to align with regional targets, which need to align with nationally set targets

The amount of zoned residential land needs to align with the population targets

Where excessive zoning (almost everywhere)Dezone to another use, or

Phase existing zoned land such that Phase 1 land matches required amount, or

Some of both

Location of Phase 1 land based on sound planning principles (eg sequential development from centre out), availability of services etc

Alignment of plans

National Spatial Strategy 2002 … reviewed

Regional Planning Guidelines (RPGs) … reviewed and updated with new Government determined population targets (2010)

City and County Development Plans reviewed and updated to be in conformity with RPGs (ongoing)

Local Area Plans reviewed and updated and in conformity with City and County Development Plans (commencing)

Government sets population targets

Government department responsible for planning (Dept Environment, Community and Local Government) sets:

Regional population targets for each of the 8 NUTS3 regions for 2016 and 2022

Population targets for Gateways (mainly the cities) and Hubs for 2016 and 2022

Targets are based on anticipated national population growth and application of National Spatial Strategy policies (eg stronger focus on Gateways and Hubs)

RPGs incorporate new targets

National planning information system

Data 450 zoning plans ….. Actual zones and Generalised Zone Types

Phasing schemes

Many other planning relevant data sets

Web browserESRI Flexviewer

Basic for citizen use

Advanced for planners and specialists

Start & ‘finish’Early 2011 start ….. Finish end 2011

INSPIRE compliantAnnex 3 … Land Use …. GZT alignment

Ireland arising …. work in progress

The shock has been shattering …… much to do on all fronts ………….. but

Ireland adapts and moves on Adaptable and relatively young well educated labour forceCompetitiveness increasedRecent GDP growth around 2%paStill strongly attracting high end technology foreign companiesPublic finances moving in the right directionReform of the public sector taking place and will be ongoingRecent net balance of trade surpluses third only to Germany and just behind the Netherlands in the EU

Better organising of GI is a key part of the response