The Waterford City and County Development Plan 2022-2028 has been endorsed with a commendation from the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR).

Michael Walsh, Chief Executive, Waterford City and County Council said: "With our ultimate aims of enhancing growth of the wider city region and driving regional prosperity to make Waterford the best place to live, work and invest, this Development Plan provides us with a clear roadmap to enable us to attain those objectives.

"Throughout the process there was extensive public consultation and collaboration. In fact, with a total of 1,155 written submissions, it was the highest level of engagement received for any draft development plan. It is evident that the people of Waterford care deeply about how our city and county develop, and Waterford City and County Council is committed to a proactive and dynamic approach towards sustainable social, environmental and economic development of the region."

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The local authority was commended on "a coherent and appropriate strategy for the delivery of key national planning objectives including the promotion of compact growth and town and village centre regeneration".

A statement from the OPR read: "The preparation of the City Neighbourhood Strategy, Appendix 21 'Waterford City and County Regeneration and Opportunity Sites', and inclusion of brownfield targets for the county's settlements within the core strategy table are all welcomed and demonstrates the planning authority's objective to support compact growth and the provisions of NSO 1 of the National Planning Framework.

"Furthermore the delivery of a robust renewable energy strategy, which provides for measurable renewable energy targets, demonstrates the planning authority's clear commitment to supporting national renewable energy targets under the Climate Action Plan 2021."

There are some elements of the Development Plan that will be redressed. The OPR cited reservations about the further development of the Duckspool area of Dungarvan, however, fully supports the plan to "prioritise regeneration on sites that are amenable to walking and cycling to the town centre, such as Shandon and Kilrush, and whereby the most central development sites in the town are prioritised for new development first".

The Development Plan will come into effect on 19 July 2022, six weeks after the date on which it was adopted, this period facilitating the final preparation and assembly of Development Plan documents for general use in the day-to-day operation of the Planning Authority and broader strategic investment decision making. The Development Plan also provides the basis on which Local Area Plans will be prepared for parts of Waterford City, the Key Town of Dungarvan, Tramore and other urban towns across the county over the lifetime of the Plan.