Page 21 - 244192_BIC_AnRpt2013_WEB

British-Irish Council – Annual Report – 2012
20
Collaborative Spatial Planning (Led by the Northern Ireland Executive)
Collaborative Spatial Planning explores how British-Irish Council Member Administrations can
work together across borders to plan for and implement key infrastructure. The Council agreed
at its twelfth Summit in Cardiff in February 2009 to ask the Northern Ireland Executive to lead a
work sector to examine the benefits that could be gained from collaboration on Spatial Planning.
The work sector brings together officials from each of the Member Administrations who are
responsible for national, island and regional development strategies. The group meets biannually
to exchange information and perspectives on current spatial planning challenges.
The work sector continues to meet at official level to discuss and exchange experiences of legal
and policy development, and to share best practice and information on emerging issues such
as measures aimed at speeding up the planning processes to support economic recovery and
growth; unfinished housing developments including associated public safety issues; onshore
wind turbine development; and European Observation Network on Territorial Development
(EPSON) and Territorial Impact Assessment (TIA) Projects.
Bearing in mind the cross-cutting nature of spatial planning policy, the work sector has recently
decided to explore the development of linkages with other work sectors. This highlighted the
degree of synergies with other work sectors (e.g. Transport, Energy, Environment and Marine
Planning) and the need to feed spatial planning perspectives into these work sectors.
Other Work Sectors