Vision for North Tipperary
- Vision Statement
- Achieving the Vision
- Why Do We Need Sustainable Development?
- Changing Our Perspective
- Sustainability at a Local Level
- Achieving Sustainability
- Guiding Decision-Making
2.5 Sustainability at a Local Level
2.5.1 Local Agenda 21
At the United Nations (UN's) 1992 Rio Earth Summit, world leaders signed up to Agenda 21 - the name given to a programme of action for the 21st Century. Chapter 28 of this document calls for local authorities to develop Local Agenda 21 (LA21) Plans - a crucial part of the movement towards sustainable development. LA21 is the process of developing local policies for sustainable development and building partnerships between local authorities, the private sector, voluntary organisations and communities themselves to implement them. In this regard the 'County Economic, Social and Cultural Strategy' 2002 will be the Council's Local Agenda 21 Plan. LA21 is a continuing process, rather than a single document or activity, and it is the responsibility of local authorities to enable and promote that process.
2.5.2 Why Local Authorities?
This substantial responsibility was placed on local authorities because they are the closest level of governance to communities and individuals, and play a vital role in interacting with the public to promote sustainable development. The planning process has a very important role in sustainable development. The Development Plan is the main instrument for regulation and control of development, and contains policies that guide development toward sustainable practices. Planning takes into account the environmental costs of any proposed development, involves local communities and provides mechanisms for people to contribute to matters that have an impact on their quality of life ("bottom-up" planning).
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