MINIMISING the potential growth in transport demand is to become a leading consideration in land use planning, with higher density residential development in and around town centres and adjacent to public transport routes.
Planning legislation will be amended to require local authorities to take account of sustainable development in drafting their development plans, the Government has pledged. It also says no State funding will be provided for infrastructure in the event of over zoning.
New Department of the Environment guidelines will stress the need to "ensure a clear demarcation between urban and rural land use, to help prevent urban sprawl, encourage more sustainable development patterns in larger settlements and,, help maintain the rural landscape.
In this context, the National Sustainable Development Strategy says that in general, there must be a presumption against urban generated one off rural housing adjacent to towns" referring to the "ribbon" of bungalows spreading into the countryside along approach roads.
"There will be closer co-ordination of transport and land use planning so as to increase the use and efficiency of public transport, rather than private cars, particularly in the larger cities" as well as better facilities for cyclists and pedestrians.
"The Department of the Environment will take an initiative to promote higher residential densities, particularly in redeveloping brown field sites (such as the Gas Company site in Dublin's docklands) and in proximity to town centres, public, transport nodes and access points.
Local authorities will be told to make provision in their development plans for "sustainable tourism" and ensure through the planning process that over development illustrated by the current controversies over holiday home schemes does not take place.
Bord Failte, the Department of Tourism and Trade and the Marine Institute are to commission research on the "critical loads" of tourist destinations, including sensitive coastal or wilderness areas, to provide "a firm basis for the establishment of sustainable tourist numbers".
The provisions of the Foreshore Acts on preventing and penalising damage to beaches, sand dunes and seashore ecosystems will continue to be fully implemented.
A strategy document on coastal zone management is to be published later this year, preparatory to a national policy covering this area. Natural Heritage Areas are to be put on a statutory footing along with national parks and national hentage parks and gardens.
Noise controls will be developed to limit permissible noise from road transport. Research is to be commissioned to estimate more accurately the environmental costs of road transport and these will have to be taken into account by the National Roads Authority.
New regulations under the Waste Management Act will limit or prevent water pollution from waste disposal practices, while new water quality standards will guide local authorities in dealing with "diffuse pollution" such as runoff from agricultural land.
A national groundwater programme is to be established under the co-ordination of the EPA to ensure its protection and sustainable use. Pricing policies will also be developed to promote conservation by major industrial and commercial water users but not by households.
The Department of the Environment and local authorities will develop and implement a water conservation programme, including "water audits", before funding is agreed for major capital projects, and a commitment to "long-term active leakage control".
A new energy rating system for houses is to be introduced, initially on a voluntary basis. The statutory Building Regulations will also be reviewed with the aim leving a further 5 per cent saving in energy use for space heating in building including houses.
Municipal waste volumes aren't be "stabilised" by 1999 and reduced by 20 per cent by 2010. Recycling will divert 20 per cent of all municipal waste from landfill by 1999 and the recovery rate for packaging waste is to be increased to at least 50 per cent by 2005.
The use of economic instruments will be explored to reduce waste, promote re-use/recycling and increase management efficiency. A hazardous waste management plan, dealing with the 100,000 tonnes of such waste arising annually, will be completed by the EPA in 1998.