Ireland 2040 Position Paper Summary & Briefs Chapter 2

Welcome to The Rural Policy Hub's second brief of Ireland 2040 new National Planning Framework (NPF).  Today's blog summarises Chapter 2 of the consultation document.  If you haven't read our first summary please go to February 15th blog

 Note: All images included in this blog series are taken from the Ireland 2040 document which can be read in full here

Chapter 2 of Ireland 2040 throws up some interesting statistics: 

  • By 2040:
  • Ireland’s population could be 6 million (it’s 4.7 now)
  • Those aged over 65 years could number over a million – that’s approximately 17% of the population
  • Average number of people per household will likely be 2 (it’s 2.7 now)
  • 25,000 new homes will be needed every year to meet demand
  • In recent times:
  • 60% of all population growth in Ireland occurred in areas accessible to Dublin, Cork and Galway
  • Along with Monaghan, the 5 counties of the North West experienced population decline:
    • Donegal
    • Leitrim
    • Sligo
    • Roscommon
    • Mayo

There is an increasing emphasis on health and well-being and more active lifestyles so people are living longer.  This means that all planning strategies must take this into consideration when developing infrastructure both built and socio-economic.

In the recent past, the motorway network has had a strong influence on socio-economic development which services the east, south, west, north-east and south-east.  It has also been evident that employers are more likely to locate near an available pool of employees.

 joblocationmap2011.png

The new strategy must consider national benefits and not simply those of urban areas and their hinterlands.  The objectives should:

  • Improve quality of life
  • Prevent further sprawl (including rural areas near large urban centres)
  • Encourage population increases closer to employment
  • Identify and promote regional employment
  • Encourage measures of prevention of urban and rural decline
  • Relieve development pressure on the east of the country
  • Ensure good environmental stewardship
  • Reduce carbon emissions
  • Prioritise infrastructure development that can deliver nations benefit including renewable energy
  • Harness the planning system to maximise its role in climate change and renewable energy
  • Manage planning and development process so that it results in:
    • Right development
    • Right place
    • Right time
    • Sustainability
    • The best use of scarce resources

Section 2.4 reviews the 2002 National Spatial Strategy (NSS) and presents what are seen to be key learnings which suggest the need for this new NPF to:

  • Be a statutory document approved by the Oireachtas
  • Be Government-backed including the Executive, all departments and agencies
  • Be a strategy as opposed to a wish-list
  • Avoid the perception of ‘winners and losers’ (hubs/gateways pitched against each other and all other areas losing out)
  • Avoid treating all parts of the country the same
  • Include economic dimension but not be led solely by this
  • Include a focus on implementation and review

It notes that whilst “Statutory backing…is…desirable, [it] should not be an impediment…” (p.15)

Furthermore, environmental requirements must be included:

  • Air/Water quality
  • Soils
  • Biodiversity and habitat protection
  • Climate change
    • Emissions reduction
    • Energy efficiency
    • Renewables

These must lead to a ‘…low carbon and climate resilient sustainable Ireland by 2050’.

Today's quote:

“A strategy that includes a fundamental shift in how we do ‘place-making’ in Ireland is likely to be required if we are to make existing places better and create new places of outstanding quality.” (p.15)

 

Each chapter includes a list of questions (which The Rural Policy Hub has summarised for brevity) for consideration when submitting responses.  For Chapter 2 these are as follows:

  1. Where will future additional population live?
  2. How will the needs of an ageing population be accommodated?
  3. What types of housing will be necessary?
  4. What sorts of communities will be created?
  5. Where will future jobs be located?
  6. What will those jobs be?
  7. What services and amenities will be necessary to meet people’s needs?
  8. How will people and goods move around? (transport)
  9. What strategic infrastructure will be required?
  10. How will that infrastructure be prioritised?
  11. How can climate change (CC) issues be addressed?

 

Tomorrow's blog will summarise Chapter 3: People's Health & Well-being