This is a time of opportunity for urban and rural planning in Ireland. During this year we will see the full enactment of the Planning and Development Act 2000. This act has clearly been drafted in a political climate that acknowledges the importance of professional planning in all aspects of the sustainable management of our environment.
However, effective implementation of the provisions of the act requires that professional planning advice is articulated at the heart of local government. In this regard, whether good planning practice is actually achieved will depend on how successful, or otherwise, new measures for the operation of local government will be in securing the formulation of this advice, and applying it to final decision making. Why is it imperative that good professional planning practice is placed at the heart of local government? Planning seeks to guide development and manage the environment in the interests of the common good. Planners propose solutions to land use and development problems, not just on foot of economic imperatives and opportunities, but in the context of societal perceptions of what is or is not desirable. Decisions should therefore be made by local authority managers and councillors, informed by planners. Difficult choices are necessary to make the correct decisions and there are many permutations in the relationship between professional planning advice given and these final decisions. For example, a housing project may not meet the necessary standards for proper planning and sustainable development, despite being formulated within the framework of an adopted policy which states that more housing is needed. Notwithstanding the final outcome, therefore, planning advice is vital to this decision-making process and a professional advocate for planning must sit at the highest level of local government. Until recently, there were city planning officers in Dublin and Cork, and county planning officers in South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council and Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown County Council. Other than in Dublin city, it now appears that the office of planning officer has disappeared, to be replaced by directors covering planning and other affairs. These directors will, with city and county managers, comprise the management teams for their local authorities. The directors who have charge of planning may or may not be professional planners. Therefore, the highest professional grade to which a planner can aspire with certainty is that of senior planner, who is not part of the management team. Potential negative effects of such changes might be felt in a number of ways. The necessary understanding of complex planning matters may not be fully articulated in the local authority management team, leading to confused, inappropriate or incorrect planning policies being pursued. The whole process of policy formulation and testing, of plan preparation and of evaluation of major planning proposals, could be demeaned because professional planners may not have a fellow professional advocate at management level. There would be no outlet for the "upper reaches" of professional competence, leading to increased professional staff dissatisfaction and turnover.
The Irish branch of the Royal Town Planning Institute is concerned that in removing these chief planning officer posts in their current form, the key philosophy of ensuring that professional advice is heard has not been translated effectively into the new local government structures.
This should not be seen as criticism of the progression towards greater joint working between local authority departments and amongst the various professional and management disciplines. Planners already lead and work within multi-disciplinary teams. This is evident from their work in, for example, local regeneration projects where the overall team may include planners, architects, engineers, politicians, land owners, community groups and governmental bodies.
The 1996 report on Better Local Government, A Programme for Change, identified a weakness in the local authority system in that the management structure in local authorities is geared towards operational matters, but not so well geared towards policy development, including support for the councillors' policy role. The provision of planning policy advice to councillors is best done by a resourced planning department with an identifiable professional head of planning.
Thus the following is required: within the current local authority structures, planning must be ensured of a full role at the highest level of management. If any new organisational structures are to be implemented, their composition must be based on a central role for planning. Ultimately, the payback will be enjoyed both by local authority management and councillors, who will be able to draw on strong and clear professional arguments in the final decisions made. This will mean a more seamless progression from proposed and adopted policies and objectives to the building of well-designed schemes. A more pro-active engagement with the general public is likely as a result of transparency between the role of professional advice and the quality of the final decision. This may reduce future controversies and create an improved sense of partnership from a shared knowledge of all aspects of the planning process. In the context of the role of planning in local government, recently mooted Government proposals for a Greater Dublin Area Authority are welcome in principle. Should this mean the provision of strategic land use and planning policy in conjunction with transportation and infrastructural issues?
A similar strategic approach is already manifest in other professional fields. Bodies such as the National Roads Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Dublin Transportation Office offer expert advice and guidance on their respective professional topics to local authorities in relation to general policies, standards and methods and to particular major projects. In this approach, the required professional expertise is maintained, the advice is transparent and the career aspirations of the professional are enhanced.
The concept of an authority for the Greater Dublin Area Authority, let alone of similar authorities throughout the State, is in its infancy and there would be a lot of work in getting the practical and legislative detail correct for any such body. Nevertheless, any such organisations should prepare regional or subregional land use development strategies. They should also act as consultants to their relevant local authorities in respect of, development plan and local plan preparation, housing and retail strategies, infrastructure policy reports, as well as making recommendations relating to implementation of regional strategies in respect of major planning applications. This would be a complementary consultancy role in addition to the professional work undertaken by the planning departments of local authorities. It would not remove the statutory responsibilities of local authorities in relation to planning. The chief officer of any such strategic authority should be a professional planner. At the heart of it would be clearly defined professional planning advice, within both the created new strategic authorities and the existing local authorities.
Professional planners in Ireland are confident that the legislative provisions now being set up, along with the increased awareness by the public of matters relating to planning, will lead to a broader understanding of the complexities of planning and a realisation that good planning can deliver tangible improvements for society. To ensure this happens, we need to be certain that professional planning advice is prepared and articulated effectively at the highest level within all existing and future operating structures of local government.
Christopher McGarry is chairperson of the Royal Town Planning Institute, (Irish Branch Southern)
