Southern Regional Assembly Minutes of the Meeting held on Friday 13 th July 2018

Transcription

1 Southern Regional Assembly Minutes of the Meeting held on Friday 13 th July 2018 Presiding: Cllr. Séamus Cosaí Fitzgerald, Cathaoirleach Present: Cllr. R. Beasley, Cllr. J. Bourke, Cllr. P. Breen, Cllr. J. Brennan, Cllr. J. Carroll, Cllr. K. Conway, Cllr. H. Cremin, Cllr. L. O Brien, Cllr. D. Foley, Cllr. D. Forde, Cllr. N. Gleeson, Cllr. T. Kinsella, Cllr. K. McCarthy, Cllr. T McEllistrim, Cllr. P. McMahon, Cllr. P. Millea, Cllr. G Murphy, Cllr. J. Murphy, Cllr. M. Murphy, Cllr. D. O Brien, Cllr. W Paton, Cllr. M. Ryan, Cllr. T. Shannon, Cllr. J Sheahan, Cllr. B. Slattery, Cllr. O. Walsh. Apologies: Mr. T Lucey, Cllr. D. Geoghegan, Cllr. J Leddin, Cllr. H McGrath, Cllr. M Shields. Officials Present: Mr. Stephen Blair, Director; Mr. David Kelly, Asst. Director; Mr. Kevin Lynch, Senior Planner/Asst. Director; Mr. Dominic Walsh, Regional Planning Officer; Mr. Bryan Riney, Regional Planning Officer; Mr. Juan Martinez Covarrubias, Economist; Ms. Sharon Murray, Programme Executive; Ms. Derville Brennan, Programme Executive; Mr. Vincent Dunphy, Programme Executive; Mr. Enda Hogan, Programme Executive; Mr. Michael Buckley, Auditor; Ms. Siobhan Rudden, National Contact Point; Ms. Rita McGarvey, Senior FLC, Ms. Eve Hayden, Senior FLC; Ms. Marie Harnett; Development Officer; Ms. Breda Curran, Development Officer; Ms. Orla Kelly, Project Officer; Mr. Evans Oranja, CO; Ms. Roisin Kiely, CO; Ms. Yvonne O Brien, CO; Ms. Karen Coughlan, ASO. 1. Adoption of Minutes of Meeting held on 08 th June 2018 The minutes of the meeting held on the 08 th June 2018 were adopted on the proposal of Cllr. Kevin Conway and seconded by Cllr. Mattie Ryan. 2. Matters Arising There were no matters arising. 3. Draft RSES - presentation on population projections and MASP s Mr Kevin Lynch gave a presentation on the MASP s (Metropolitan Area Strategic Plans) with published population projections covering the following areas: Legal Status and Project Governance; Enactment of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016 and alignment of County Development Plans; Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies (RSESs), including: Transitional Population Projections; Metropolitan Areas; Regional Centres Plan Preparation. Urban and Rural Regeneration and Development Funds; The National Regeneration and Development Agency (NRDA); Next steps. Mr. Stephen Blair commented on the long wait for the much anticipated NPF circular and roadmap. He stressed the importance of making clear the central role of the Assembly particularly in light of the Assembly s involvement in producing statutory regulations and Metropolitan plans. He assured all that the Assembly will continue to work closely with the Local Authorities however it is for the Members to agree this strategy which in turn will be an important component in the Metropolitan plans. Mr Blair recalled that the journey of the RSES work began a year ago with the issues paper

2 followed by a vast amount of dialogue, with the current status now being staff converting content into draft chapters with a view to presenting them for review towards the end of August. Mr Blair stressed the importance of understanding the population projections adding that he hoped now everyone has seen the population projections they will agree with him on his opinion that all projections are very generous and well above past achievements. Mr Blair cautioned the challenge now lies in creating the conditions to create jobs to meet these population projections. He stated there is potential growth planned. Mr Blair clarified that the timing of the adoption and subsequent publication of the drat RSES is a decision for the Members. He confirmed that the aim is to have a draft ready by the end of August which will be presented to the Members at a workshop scheduled for the 07 th September. This will facilitate the draft RSES going to public consultation by the agreed date of the end of September. Cllr Bill Slattery thanked Mr Blair for the information. He had a query relating to page 7 & 8 asking who decided on the distinction raising the issue that part of Clare has been included in Limerick but not in Galway. Cllr Joe Carroll stated that he still has concerns around the speed and timing saying it is not ideal as it has not been discussed at Local Authority Level. While he is reticent to disagree with Mr Stephen Blair he doesn t agree that what is being proposed is generous for the South-West. He believes the South- West is lagging behind and stressed the importance of addressing this before any work is done on the NPF. Cllr Carroll warned that the satellite towns of Cork will gobble up the projections and must be discussed in more detail. He is fearful for the South-West as there it is a vast area which is not commutable to Cork City. Cllr Gearóid Murphy welcomed the revised figures finding them encouraging and confirmed that he will be consulting with his Local Authority on them. Cllr Murphy notified that the suggested workshop and meeting dates of the 07 th & 21 st were not suitable for Cork County Council. Cllr Larry O Brien acknowledged the importance of the adoption of the RSES and acceptance of the roadmap. Cllr O Brien said that not being a planner he has difficulty with the terminology and technical information in the document. He queried who the best person is to approach for anyone that has difficulty in understanding the technical aspects of the RSES. He also stressed that before the RSES is adopted by the members it needs to be agreed by the Local Authorities. Cllr O Brien is of the opinion that two meetings in September was insufficient given the importance and implications of this strategy. Cllr Kevin Conway thanked Mr Kevin Lynch for his presentation however still has reservations. He clarified that when there was a suggestion to defer the adoption of the RSES they didn t mean September as it can t be ready before the end of July and with August being a holiday month it should be deferred to the end of September. Cllr Kieran McCarthy said he was happy with the process to date having engaged with the Regional Planning Officer for the South-West, Mr Robert Fennelly, commending how open he had been in his engagement. He remarked that figures can sometimes skew the reality on the ground and to keep a focus on the inequalities. Cllr McCarthy said old school economic thinking should not be adopted and that the Committee of the Regions offers fresh thinking. He said that while he welcomes the URDF it raises alarm bells with him that they didn t wait for the RSES to be adopted before issuing. However, looking at the relevant documents it is well fleshed out and he welcomes the money but regardless they should have waited for the RSES.

3 Cllr Deirdre Forde commented on the difficulty on getting all to dovetail. Everyone needs to do their best to absorb what information there is saying she no longer feels as pessimistic. Cllr Forde suggested that in order to balance the economies of scale, common issues between urban and rural need to be identified and dealt with e.g. older population. Cllr Henry Cremin acknowledged that this is not an easy process and everyone is in the same boat, however, it is vital that all Local Authorities are on board before voting for adoption of the RSES. In his opinion, the information from the Regional Assembly is not reaching the Local Authorities as it should. Cllr Cremin felt another meeting prior to a response from the Local Authority is a waste of time suggesting a meeting in the Local Authorities with the relevant RPO followed by an Assembly meeting. Cllr Cremin warned that the timeline is not working and support is needed from the Local Authorities. He stressed the importance of getting this right and with this in mind September is too early for adoption. Cllr Pip Breen inquired if a briefing document could be sent to the Local Authorities to update them suggesting it could be circulated and discussed at the next round of Local Authority meetings scheduled for September. Mr Stephen Blair thanked everyone for their contribution noting common issues raised regarding the ability to reflect the interest of the various councils. He advised that the circular and roadmap had been issued to the Chief Executives of the Local Authorities, so they are fully aware of this information. He confirmed that the planning staff of the Assembly are working with the planning units of the Local Authorities, so they are being kept well briefed. Mr Blair confirmed that the Government have defined the city boundaries, so the Assembly has no say in this matter reiterating that it has been prescribed. Mr Blair said there is no choice but to work with the population figures given, reminding all that there are separate figures given for City and County. When the County Development Plans are being revised it is up to the Local Authority to distribute population figures in the most strategic way. Mr Blair confirmed that the Assembly are only considering high-level projections e.g. Cork County Council themselves must decide population targets for towns. Mr Blair assured the members that the executive has no desire to rush the decision by the Members however they must consider external factors that are driving the need for a decision. With the launch of the funding streams the Government want a draft RSES out for public consultation to facilitate the first assessment of the projects against the RSES pointing out the Assembly has an interest in influencing this funding. Mr Blair reminded all that the timeline for the RSES has been worked backwards from the upcoming 2019 elections. Cllr Joe Carroll commented on there being three Oireachtas TD s in West Cork and they are not responding to issues raised, they are in fact not even aware of the RSES. Cllr Seamus Cosai Fitzgerald acknowledged that the members in general are not happy and want to be given sufficient time to go back to their relevant Local Authorities. He suggested that the RSES be put on the agenda for the September Local Authority meetings and members can report back on outcome of discussions. Cllr Deirdre Forde commented that while there have been previous discussions they were not defined as there were no population figures confirmed and now there is also a boundary change to discuss.

4 Cllr Gearóid Murphy inquired how long would there be between seeing the draft and voting on it suggesting this is what the timing should be planned around. Mr Stephen Blair confirmed that ambition is to have the draft ready and issued by the end of August to give members sufficient time to review prior to the meeting assuring them once seen in context the content will make sense. He inquired of the members how long they anticipate needing for review of the document and how many meetings. Cllr Bill Slattery referred to the population figures for Clare and Limerick noting they are counted as two entirely separate counties and, considering this, he inquired how the funds are to be distributed under the MASP set-up to ensure fairness. Mr Stephen Blair confirmed the Limerick MASP extends over the border into County Clare, as per the definition of Limerick given by the CSO, with some of the suburbs more into Clare. The intention is to net off the Limerick Metropolitan Area that runs into Clare, as a result there will be two sets of figures produced for Clare. Cllr Pat Millea suggested a RSES briefing meeting prior to the Local Authority meetings noting not many of the LA s meet in early September. Mr Kevin Lynch confirmed the purpose of the workshop on the 07 th was to brief members on the draft RSES to facilitate a decision at the Assembly meeting on the 21 st, it will be a 2-phase process. He assured the members that at present they are working through details with the Planners and Chief Executives. Mr Lynch informed they have sat down with the executive and members of the Clare and Kerry Local Authorities and are happy to do the same with other Local Authorities. Cllr Larry O Brien reiterated that the process cannot be rushed. All agreed to a workshop going ahead on the 07 th to provide an update on the RSES with the date for the next Assembly meeting to be confirmed at a later date. 4. Report on activity of the Irish Delegation for the Committee of the Regions Cllr Michael Murphy, Head of the Irish Delegation for the CoR, gave a report on activity for second quarter of the year highlighting the following: BREXIT was the main issue dominating debates and the vulnerable position it leaves Ireland in. Cllrs Deirdre Forde, Kieran McCarthy and Hughie McGrath were very prominent in these debates. The CoR Conference of Presidents was in Dublin to discuss Brexit and Cllr Murphy was pleased to have the opportunity to take part in a visit to Northern Ireland in anticipation of a hard border. They are acutely aware of the challenges BREXIT presents including future budgets e.g. CAP, Cohesion Policy and future operational programmes. The opinion of Cllr Kieran McCarthy on the Implementation Assessment of the Urban Agenda for the EU was adopted in COTER. Cllr. Deirdre Forde was appointed rapporteur on the proposal for the Programme for single market, competitiveness of enterprises, including small and medium-sized enterprises, and European statistics at the ECON commission meeting. Cllr Kieran McCarthy said he was thankful for the diplomatic skills in Brussels. He wanted to take the opportunity to reiterate the Urban Agenda and the 12 emerging Action Plans. He acknowledged the 12% cut in cohesion funding up for discussion implying the INTERREG programmes are under attack

5 adding pressure to the programmes. Cllr McCarthy said the onus was on the Southern Regional Assembly to respond to these cuts. Cllr McCarthy reported that Poland are not happy with the reclassification to NUTS II level asking that their appeal be responded to. He stressed the ongoing work being done which is at the cutting edge of making policy. 5. Any other business Cllr Larry O Brien felt that as a group they could be promoting the work of the Assembly more saying that in his own locality of Wexford nobody recognises the name of the organisation. He stressed the need for everyone to put themselves out there more. There is hard work being done that needs to be reflected. 6. Confirm date for next meeting All agreed to a workshop going ahead on the 07th to provide and update on the RSES with the date for the next Assembly meeting to be confirmed at a later date. Signed: Cllr. Seamus Cosai Fitzgerald Cathaoirleach Date: