Vol. 533 No. 6
319 Mr. Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if his Department has given any consideration to the proposal by a person (details supplied) for the creation of a new city in County Mayo under the national spatial strategy; if not, if he will have an analysis of the project carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9878/01]
During the initial round of public consultation last year my Department received a submission on a new city for the west of Ireland. Along with all other submissions received, it is being taken into consideration in the preparation of the national spatial strategy.
The initial round of public consultation has been followed by a period of extensive research during which a wide range of issues relating, inter alia, to population and labour force projections, the future role of Dublin in Ireland and Europe, urban and rural functioning, factors driving the location of enterprise, quality of life issues, infrastructure and environmental protection were analysed and assessed. In relation to the possibility of creating new urban centres, the factors to be taken into account include impact on other towns and rural areas, maximising the benefits of current infrastructure investment in small-medium towns, international experience where new towns-cities have not generally been successfully realised.
