An Area Development Plan sets out a blueprint for the development of educational infrastructure.  A draft development plan for an area is first produced containing:

• Details of existing primary and post primary provision
• The demographics of the area and other relevant factors
• Commentary on the data
• Recommendations for educational infrastructural provision in an area into the future

Following a widespread consultation process where all interested parties are invited to make submissions, the completed Area Development Plan is then published.  It will be used into the next decade for capital funding decisions on educational infrastructure.   Area Development Plans have now been published for Mountmellick and Mouthrath, Westport and Newport, North Kerry, the areas covered by the N4/M4 route, North Dublin and South Galway.