* Next submission deadlines:
Draft Sligo County Development Plan 2024-2030 Public Consultation: Deadline 22nd Dec, 4pm
What is Fossil Free Communities?
Have your say to make your council fossil free! On-the-ground, local decisions on energy and the climate matter, and with just a few steps, you can make a difference to your council’s strategy on climate action. How? Local and regional councils publish strategies (so-called County Development Plans) which determine their actions and decisions over multiple years. Citizens can shape these plans by contributing to the councils’ consultations. By letting your council know that you oppose fossil fuel infrastructure and support renewable energy (for example), you can help to ensure that the climate is at the front and centre of these development plans. To support you in making a submission, feel free to use the template we prepared or make your own individualised submission. The important thing is: the more voices that contribute, the more likely we are to get heard!
How to make a submission
Step 1.
Check when your county’s next public consultation is taking place on our county development plan timeline
Step 2.
Follow the links on the timeline to make your submission.
Step 3.
Use our template or write your own submission.
Step 4.
Fill in the form and submit!
Some handy tips:
– Plans will be at different stages in different counties so you might want to tailor your submission slightly for maximum impact e.g. at Draft stage you may want to critique specific policies such as a council’s plans to expand the gas network, while at Pre-Draft stage you can be more general. See the PDF below for details on the Development Plan Process and when you should submit.
– At the draft stage, if the council is proposing something you like the look of, tell them so! We are making lots of suggestions so it’s helpful to balance this out by acknowledging what they are doing well.
– Personalise your submission as much as you can. Please do use our template as a guide and reference but if you have time add in your own views and ideas as this will be more positively received by the council.
The Office of the Planning Regulator has produced a handy map which displays the details of current and upcoming public consultations on city/county development plan reviews. Just select “CDP’ under Plan Type at the top to filter for county development plans. You can click on each local authority area to view details of the current and upcoming consultations.
There are three stages when you can make a submission as a member of the public: the Pre-Draft stage, the Draft stage and the Material Amendments stage. See the document below (produced by the Office of the Planning Regulator and annotated by us) for more information on the development plan process.
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