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Gormley restates intention to review Retail Planning Guidelines

10/09/08

The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Mr. John Gormley T.D. today (10 September) noted the publication of the report by the Competition Authority, The Retail Planning System as Applied to the Grocery Sector: 2001-2007. The report, which is based on the experience of the seven largest grocery retailers operating here from 2001 to 2007, recommends a number of changes to the Retail Planning Guidelines published by the Minister’s Department.

The report by the Competition Authority comes on top of a report published earlier this week for RGDATA by MacCabe Durney and Barnes Consulting, Planning Consultants, Sustainable Retail Development - an Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Retail Planning Guidelines. This report recognises the role of the retail planning guidelines in supporting and promoting retail development in appropriate locations both within and around urban areas, and is broadly supportive of the existing guidelines while recommending strengthening in some regards.  The report states that there has been a 275% increase in shopping centre floorspace in the last 6 years.

Last week, the Minister announced that he intended to initiate a review of the retail planning guidelines in 2009.  The Retail Planning Guidelines for Planning Authorities have been in effect since 2001 and were further amended in 2005 to remove the floorspace cap on retail warehouses under certain circumstances. 

The Minister said “It’s appropriate that we have these type of analyses to input into the review of the Retail Planning Guidelines.  In proposing any adjustment to retail planning policy we need to take into account broader issues around the availability, location and accessibility of retail development, the need to support the continuing role of town and district centres in maintaining vibrant towns and villages while at the same time facilitating a competitive and healthy environment for the retail industry.”

Minister Gormley added, "Since the Guidelines came into force in 2001, Ireland has undergone considerable change in terms of economic and social development, particularly in relation to population expansion and settlement patterns.  Increased demand for retail outlets in existing and expanded towns and cities across the country, good planning and the need to reduce car dependency, and the need to ensure continued healthy competition in the retail sector are key considerations that will underpin the review.  Not all of these factors will have been considered within the scope of the Competition Authority report."


The principles to guide the review are that:
· competition to the benefit of the consumer should be maintained and enhanced;
· existing retail development-type definitions and relevant floorspace limits will be assessed to determine whether they remain appropriate or whether they need to be amended;
· preferred locations for retail development should continue to be guided by considerations of sustainable land use, including access by public transport;
· in particular, new retail development should be encouraged to contribute to the vitality and vibrancy of town and village centres, to ensure that they retain retailing as a core function; and
· realistic, forward-looking strategies for plan-led retail development are devised and that planning authorities, developers and shop owners are given clear guidance in formulating development or expansion proposals.


The review will also take account of other key complementary planning and development policies including the National Spatial Strategy and Regional Planning Guidelines, along with more recently published planning guidelines on Development Plans (2007) and Development Management (2007) and the Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas (2008) and recent research into development in the retail sector, in particular the grocery sector.

The Competition Authority, planning authorities, retailers, developers, representative bodies and all interested parties and individuals will be consulted during the review.

ENDS

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