1. Implementation of the NPF
Stephen Blair
Executive Director

2. Presentation Outline Background/context NPF Legal status
NPF Governance
NPF alignment with investment plans
Alignment of plans across planning hierarchy
NPF Disruptive Policies
NPF Implementation Roadmap
RSES – key vehicle for NPF delivery
MASP’s
New Funds
New Development Agency

3. Background/Context
NPF adopted by Government 16th Feb 2018 and replaced NSS
So what’s new?
- Framework not a strategy
- Whole of government approach
- Integration of Physical Planning with Investment Planning => Project Ireland 2040 consisting of NPF + NDP

4. Background/Context cont./
Unlike NSS, NPF is focused on implementation as part of framework design
Identification of 10 strategic objectives common to both NPF & NDP
Funding identified to make it happen
Monitoring & Implementation structure identified to deliver framework
Significant role given to regional tier to assist in Framework implementation

5. Legal Status
NPF adopted and published by Government on 16th Feb 2018 as a strategy to replace the NSS, for the purpose of Section 2 of the Planning & Development Act 2000, as amended.
This decision was reconfirmed by Government on 29th May, 2018 in context of NPF implementation
Legal status further enhanced with enactment of the Planning & Dev. (Amendment) Act 2018
Section 18 of 2018 Act inserts a whole new chapter (IIA) which sets out the objectives of NPF and matters to be addressed.
In particular NPF must be reviewed by Govt. every 6 years
Future NPF will must be approved by both Houses of Oireachtas

6. NPF Governance Project Ireland 2040 Delivery Board established
Made up of Sec. Generals of all relevant infrastructure & investment Government Departments and co-chaired by D/PER & D/HPLG
Meet Quarterly
First meeting in May and agreed to establish a Capital Projects Tracker & other monitoring tools, a Construction Sector Advisory Group, implementation of the 4No. NDP Competitive Funds, and advancement on the National Regeneration Agency.

7. Alignment of NPF with Public Investment Plans
Unlike NSS, NPF fully integrated with NDP
NDP designed to support direct implementation of NPF Policy & Objectives
The 10 Year Capital Plan, with a budget of €116 billion has been designed around the 10 Strategic Objectives shared with the NPF, such as compact growth, regional accessibility, strengthened rural economy, sustainable mobility.
Establishment of 4 No. Dedicated Funds, to be delivered on a competitive basis, and explicitly designed to implement objectives of NPF

8. Alignment of Plans across Planning Hierarchy
Key Objective of NPF to shape & co-ordinate spatial & economic planning at national, regional & local levels.
2018 Pl. & Dev. Amendment Act puts in place a mechanism to ensure alignment, both temporally and in policy direction, across the planning hierarchy from the NPF to Regional Strategies to Development Plans to Local Area Plans
Now for the first time all plans/strategies must be consistent with those plans above them in the planning hierarchy, and the Minister/Regulator has the power to intervene to ensure consistency

9. Planning Hierarchy

10. NPF – Disruptive Planning Policy
NPF introduces number of disruptive policies to move away from ‘business as usual’ model to move sustainable patterns of development.
Fundamentally this manifests itself in policies to: -
- Rebalance growth between Eastern & Midland Region and the
rest of the country;
- Promote compact growth in cities & towns;
- 50% of future growth to be targeted at Ireland’s five cities, of
which half must be accommodated within the existing built up
areas;
- Reduce distances between where people live & work;
- Modal shift in favour of sustainable travel modes;
- Utilisation of existing infrastructure.

11. NPF Implementation Roadmap
July 2018 Minister published a NPF Implementation Roadmap
This roadmap dealt with 5 No. issues:
Legal status & governance of NPF
Alignment of Plans across planning hierarchy
Regional Spatial & Economic Strategies (RSES)
Urban & Rural Regeneration Funds
National Regeneration Agency

12. RSES – Key vehicle for NPF implementation
2000 Planning & Dev. Act, as amended, makes statutory provision for RSES to replace the former Regional Planning Guidelines
However, new Statutory Instrument required to cover procedures for making of RSES
Explicit purpose of RSES is to support implementation of NPF & government economic policies
Integration of spatial planning with economic planning
RSES has to fill in much of detail not contained in high level national framework, by identifying policy interventions to create the conditions to support population and employment growth set out in NPF.
Significant importance given by Government to regional strategies to assist implementation of NPF

13. RSES cont./
Given the central plank of the NPF is influencing where population and employment growth is targeted, NPF roadmap sets out a series of population projections for regions, subregions, counties, cities and towns for years 2026 & 2031 to be applied in RSES.
Require transitional population projections to 2026 as move from business as usual to NPF compact growth model
The implementation roadmap projections add a further 25% growth to NPF projections, thus ‘nationalising’ headroom requirements.
Therefore Development Plans are no longer to build in headroom in their core strategies
RSES has to apply these transitional projections and to identify further regional growth centres beyond what identified in NPF
These population projections have also to be translated into employment targets and housing requirements.

14. Metropolitan Area Strategic Plans (MASP’s)
Given key part of NPF/NDP strategy is to target significant future growth & investment in the five cities, a further innovation in NPF was the introduction of MASP’s
Metropolitan areas straddle two or more local authority areas
Purpose of MASP is to set out a high level & long term strategic vision for each metropolitan area & to identify critical priorities for sequencing and delivery
MASP’s to be prepared in tandem with and as part of RSES
Implementation roadmap defines the extent of the metropolitan areas for Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway & Waterford.
MASP’s have to identify and quantify key strategic sites for housing and employment, and to prioritise infrastructural requirements necessary to facilitate growth.

15. Urban & Rural Regeneration Funds
A further innovation in Project Ireland 2040 is not alone to have sectoral investment programmes aligned with objectives of NPF, but to introduce for first time dedicated Funds to support the implementation of the NPF
4 Funds established to be delivered on a bottom-up, competitive basis to fund regeneration projects in our cities, towns & rural areas.
€2bln. Urban Regeneration Fund
€1bln. Rural Regeneration Fund
€0.5bln. Climate Action Fund
€0.5bln. Disruptive Technologies Fund
First calls under each of the Funds launched in summer, and decisions on funding due before Christmas

16. National Regeneration & Development Agency
A further implementation mechanism introduced in the NPF was the establishment of a dedicated National Agency to assist public bodies with the co-ordination and delivery of large strategically located sites, especially for housing purposes.
In September 2018 the Government launched the Land Development Agency with a budget of €1.25bln.
Target to build 150,00 new homes by 2040, with 10,000 homes in the immediate pipeline
LDA to assist public bodies with land assembly and co-ordinate State lands for regeneration

17. Thank You & Any Questions
Contact Details
Stephen Blair
Executive Director