Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 5 Apr 2001

Vol. 534 No. 2

Written Answers. - National Spatial Strategy.

Deirdre Clune

Ceist:

53 Ms Clune asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the progress made to date in producing the spatial development plan; when the proposed plan will be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10161/01]

Minister for the Environment and Local Government (Mr. Dempsey)

Substantial progress has been made on the mandate given by the Government to my Department to prepare a national spatial strategy, which will translate the overall approach to regional development contained in the national development plan into a more detailed framework for spatial development in Ireland over the next 20 years.

Following an initial round of public consultation last year, my Department completed and published a report on the scope of the strategy, setting out the issues and challenges it needed to address and a work programme to ensure its delivery by the end of this year. This was 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.

Based on that information my Department is currently preparing a series of spatial policy papers setting out the most realistic choices and opportunities open to us to promote new patterns of development in Ireland over the next 20 years.

It is intended that the spatial policy papers will be published during May. Their publication will be followed over the rest of May and June by an intense period of consultation with regional and local interests, the social partners, sustainable development partners and other representative groups. Following that, and taking account of the responses and views received during the consultation phase, the proposals for inclusion in the strategy will be further developed with a view to having the strategy submitted to the Government for approval in late Autumn and published by the end of the year.