The Co Donegal Draft Development Plan 2005

The Co Donegal Draft Development Plan 2005 is the first Development Plan produced following the publication of the Planning and d Development Act 2000-2004, the National Spatial Strategy, and the Regional Planning Guidelines. The Draft Plan contains an extensive package of policies and proposals to promote the development of County Donegal in a balanced and sustainable way. It followed extensive public consultation involving several meetings in electoral areas of the county, with representations received from various interested parties and groups with an Elected Members' Working Group set up to steer the plan. The importance of the maintenance and enhancement of the rural character of the county is addressed, as is the development of the region as a location for investment. The Rural Housing Policy contained in the Draft Plan is reflective of the fact that people who wish to live in rural areas of the county will be permitted to construct homes with certain limited restrictions. Infrastructure and development corridors will focus on the provision of much-needed improvements to the quality of our roads, air, and sea links, power supply and broadband opportunities. The plan was developed by Donegal County Council in partnership with various local communities, service providers, public agencies, developers and local architects.

The Development Plan is the principal instrument used to manage change of a physical nature in the landscape. This physical change can relate to the pressures and growth of our towns and villages; their renewal and regeneration; the protection of rural and man-made heritage as well as the many and varied pressures on the rural landscape in the form of rural housing, tourism, industry, energy, forestry, transport, telecommunications and other infrastructure. This change needs to be set and managed within a wider context of the relationship of County Donegal with its neighbouring counties and its regional, national and international context. The Development Plan sets out a vision for the overall development of the county over the coming years, and how to achieve it. It identifies the direction in which we want to go and provides guidance on how to get there. Future planning applications within the county will be judged and assessed against the policies, objectives, technical standards and guidelines contained within the Development Plan.