Planning for employment growth – Office of the Planning Regulator

The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) has published a Practice Note – PN04 -‘Planning for Employment Growth – The Development Plan and Employment Lands’. The practice note is published in accordance with the OPR’s Strategic Planning Research Programme 2023 – 2025.

Background

Economic conditions have significant implications for planning, in times of growth and decline. Since the inception of the formal planning system in Ireland with the enactment of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act 1963, development plans have supported and facilitated economic development through zoning objectives and policy measures, reflecting the evolution in legislation and guidelines as the national economic landscape changed.

Role of a local authority

The economic development strategy of the local authority development plan is, therefore, a key component of the plan’s overall strategy for proper planning and development. In addition, the economic development strategy has to work hand in hand with other key development plan strategies including climate action, housing delivery, sustainable transport, heritage and quality place-making.

There have been multiple economic initiatives at European, national, regional and local levels to support a strong economy, balanced regional development and job growth. The Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSESs) of the three regional assemblies, provide a crucial bridging point from national policy to local level. Such strategies have strengthened recognition of the key role that local authorities play in enterprise and employment in the performance of their functions. Learning from the application of evidence-based approaches to housing delivery through the Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) process, such strategies also recognise the value of methodologies to evaluate the demand for and supply of land for enterprise and employment.

OPR practice note

To support local authorities, this OPR practice note provides an evidence-based, step-by-step approach to the process of assessing enterprise and employment lands.

The practice note acknowledges the importance of a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach between national, regional and local government and agencies, as well as a range of skills and expertise, in delivering a strong and reliable evidence base for the zoning of land for enterprise and employment purposes.

While no ‘one-size-fits-all approach’ can be applied, as each local authority has a distinctive set of resources, administrative area and context, the practice note advocates for greater consistency in estimating the differing zoning requirements for enterprise and employment uses.

Key elements of the practice note include:

• An overview of the relevant legislative and policy framework.
• Considerations in the development of a sustainable enterprise and employment portfolio.
• An outline of methodologies for the implementation of national and regional economic policy at the local development plan level.
• A step-by-step approach to the process of assessing enterprise and employment land (the Assessment).
• An adaptable framework which planning authorities can tailor to create their own methodologies to fit within a local context.
• A template site appraisal form.

Final remark

OPR practice notes seek to bridge the gap between high-level legislation, policy and the practicalities of implementation on the ground, with the aim of providing support and reassurance for practitioners while promoting professional and public confidence in the planning system. This practice note is the fifth publication in this series. See all practice notes here.