Vol. 509 No. 1
176 Mr. Perry asked the Minister for Finance the plans, if any, he has in place to develop Sligo as a major growth centre as was identified in the ESRI and Fitzpatrick report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19496/99]
The ESRI consultancy, "National Investment Priorities for the Period 2000-06", and the Fitzpatrick studies commissioned by the two regional assemblies recommended, in the context of the National Development Plan 2000-06, the application of a gateway approach to balanced regional development. Gateways are centres which have a strategic location relative to the surrounding territory, have the potential to open up their zones of influence to further development by providing transport links with contiguous zones and possess good social and economic infrastructure and services. In this regard, the Government is conscious of the relevance of a national spatial framework to act as a context for the co-ordination of policies aimed at achieving balanced and sustainable regional development. The implementation of such a framework would require the preparation of a national spatial strategy. These issues, including the development of gateways and the designation of growth centres, are under consideration by the Government in the context of the finalisation of the national development plan which will be published in the very near future.
