Over the past number of years, Ireland’s National Transport Authority (the “NTA”) have been funding and overseeing the preparation of Local Transport Plans (LTPs) across the country. Such plans are prepared for regional growth centres and key towns identified in the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies, as well as other settlements identified by local authorities, and are based on the Area Based Transport Assessment (ABTA) guidance that was previously prepared by the NTA and Transport Infrastructure Ireland. In overseeing this programme, the NTA have been to the forefront of transport planning in Ireland at the local level and as such have developed a unique insight into local plan making and the relationship between national, regional and local policy. This paper summarises the approach the NTA has taken to the preparation of these plans, the key issues which have emerged, and the challenges of achieving modal shift across Ireland and the associated objective to reduce emissions from transport.