12.4 Monitoring and Reporting

12.4 Monitoring and Reporting

Monitoring and reporting on the RSES, through various mechanisms and channels which includes obligations under the Planning and Development Act 2000, will ensure the development of a responsive RSES focused on delivery.

Office of the Planning Regulator

Evidence Based Policy Making and Evaluation

The Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) was established by government in April 2019. The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 established the legal basis for the OPR and outlines its role and functions, which include the assessment of all local authority and regional assembly forward planning, including regional spatial and economic strategies; organisational review of the systems and procedures used by any planning authority, including An Bord Pleanála, in the performance of any of their planning functions; and driving national research, training, education and public information programmes.

The EMRA is strongly committed to the preparation of evidence-based strategies and plans and this is demonstrated in the baseline data gathering and the preparation of Regional Profiles, which informed the development of the RSES. As part of this commitment EMRA will make available the baseline data as a shared evidence base for the Region and encourages other public bodies and local authorities to use this data, particularly to inform the preparation and implementation of city and county development plans, local area plans, and local economic and community plans.

It is anticipated that the RSES evidence baseline data will be regularly updated as new data becomes available and the Regional Assembly will support the development and publication of a set of robust, relevant and timely Key Regional Indicators for policy making and evaluation. Baseline data shall be updated on at least a four yearly cycle to coincide with the EPA state of the environment reporting and shall take account of the monitoring requirements in the SEA.

This office operates an independent monitoring role, advising the Minister, Government and the Oireachtas on implementation of the National Planning Framework under the statutory planning process, through Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies, local authority statutory planning processes and the decisions of An Bord Pleanála, and using a new set of indicators to be developed to assist effective monitoring.

REGIONAL POLICY OBJECTIVES:

Phasing of Population Growth

The NPF sets out phased regional population targets to 2026 and 2031. As outlined above, revisions to legislation under the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2016 provide for the broad alignment of city and county development plans to address a six-year period to 2026/27 following preparation of the RSES.

Monitoring

RPO 12.5: EMRA will carry out a regular update of baseline data for monitoring purposes and will make this data publicly available to facilitate evidencebased policy making and evaluation in the Region.

This aligns with census periods and the availability of census data following Census 2026 will allow for more effective monitoring of the RSES in the future.

Figure from page 242

Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy

List of Tables EMRA RSES

3. Growth Strategy