Calls for action to counterbalance Dublin growth

THE Irish Planning Institute (IPI) has called for more radical planning solutions to counteract problems associated with demographic changes highlighted in the new census figures.

IPI president Henk van der Kamp said the comparatively slow population growth in Cork, Waterford and Limerick reflected the failure of these cities to provide a strong counterbalance to Dublin as a growth centre.

Mr van der Kamp said there was a need for proactive measures to reverse the more dispersed pattern of population growth identified in the 2006 census, especially in the Dublin commuter belt.