Joanna Drennan MRTPI is RTPI Northern Ireland's Policy Officer
Border regions face distinct planning challenges because social, economic, and spatial processes do not stop at political or administrative boundaries. For Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, Brexit has intensified complexity and uncertainty, but it has also motivated a renewed commitment to maintain co-operation where possible.
The International Centre for Local and Regional Development has undertaken research for the RTPI into strategic spatial planning on the island of Ireland. This research assesses cross-border spatial planning practice and strategic alignment between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. It examines the evolution, alignment/divergence, and future direction of strategic spatial planning on the island of Ireland, as well as looking at the potential relevance of a framework for co-operation. The full report can be read on our website.
Some key findings on the degree of policy alignment and divergence between the two jurisdictions are that alignment between Northern Ireland’s Regional Development Strategy 2035 and the revised Irish National Planning Framework is often assumed but, in reality, the revised NPF has advanced more contemporary, climate‑aligned and well‑being‑focused approaches, while the RDS 2035 reflects a more traditional, infrastructure‑led paradigm.
Cross-border co-operation is also widely valued and occurring but unevenly distributed. Local authorities emerged as the most active and effective scale for collaboration through this study, exemplified by the North West Strategic Growth Partnership (NWSGP) and Dublin–Belfast Economic Corridor (DBEC) partnerships.
In 2013, the two jurisdictions jointly published the Framework for Cooperation to improve coordination, reduce planning inefficiencies, and support collaboration. However, planning professionals, especially those early in their career, are generally not aware of the Framework for Co-operation, although they would still support the collaborative approach and rationale for co-operation that the Framework espouses.
Research participants in this study identified some key benefits of cross-border collaboration:
- Enhanced policy learning and transfer
- Strengthened community and social cohesion
- Shared environmental management
- Improved competitiveness and innovation and
- More efficient infrastructure planning, particularly transport, energy, and green/blue infrastructure.
But despite the perceived benefits, significant structural and political barriers to collaboration persist, including: different legislative and policy frameworks, data incompatibility, funding and resource limitations, political sensitivities and limited cross-jurisdictional understanding amongst professionals. How can these be overcome? And how can we support the future of spatial planning in border regions?
The report identifies five key recommendations for the future direction of cross-border spatial planning:
- Review Northern Ireland’s Regional Development Strategy
- Revisit and revive the Framework for Co-operation
- Improve data reconciliation and shared performance monitoring
- Strengthen resourcing and professional development training
- Move beyond co-operation to collaboration
The RTPI is committed to supporting both jurisdictions, particularly in improving the quality and availability of data relevant to planning, performance monitoring of the planning system, resourcing, and professional development training of planning professionals. Keep an eye on our website for regular training opportunities, written responses to government consultations relating to planning, and research about current issues.
