Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 9 December 2004
103 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress made to date with regard to implementation of the national spatial strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32685/04]
View answerThe Government has put a wide range of measures in place at national, regional and local levels aimed at achieving the strategy's objectives over its 20 year horizon. The initial phases of NSS implementation have focused on embedding the policy approach of the NSS within key Departments, their agencies and the regional and local authorities.
Significant milestones in this regard have included the adoption by all regional authorities of regional planning guidelines which will help to structure and inform local planning in the period to 2020; substantial progress in national development plan capital investment programmes endorsed by the NSS as providing the critical catch up infrastructure such as key road and rail links needed to support the achievement of more balanced regional development; mid-term review of the national development plan, which signalled the potential for further aligning NDP expenditure with the NSS planning framework, particularly in the environmental infrastructure and regional operational programmes; the establishment of implementation frameworks for the gateways on a phased basis, with frameworks now in place in Cork and Galway and work on similar frameworks advancing in other areas. The proposals announced earlier this year for substantial investment in new suburban rail services in the Cork area are a significant example of a direct response from the Government to the planning policies which have been put in place under one of the gateway frameworks referred to above and other responses are being examined.
NSS implementation is now seeking to focus on the identification of longer term development and investment prioritisation issues arising from the strategy's 20 year horizon. Key priorities over the next 12 months will include advancing a detailed study of issues arising in accelerating the development of the gateways as well as the development agencies and authorities in the gateways. This study will provide pointers on how the accelerated development of gateways can be better facilitated and promoted. It will intensify progress in co-ordinating activities in the areas of housing, environmental and water services infrastructure provision and local roads programmes in my Department to support the objectives of the NSS and the accelerated development of the gateways in particular. It will also build on bilateral links between my Department and other Departments and agencies in order to link their strategic and longer term planning of investment to NSS implementation activities such as the regional planning guidelines.
