O’Keeffe pledges streamlined development

IN WHAT would herald a sea change in attitudes to planning, Junior Environment Minister Batt O’Keeffe has pledged the days of upside-down development are over and roads and schools will now be developed in tandem with residential housing.

Bolstered by €350 million in funding Mr O’Keeffe said there has “been a lot of bad planning decisions” in the past decade culminating in the scenes in Balbriggan in Dublin last August when the Department of Education was forced to ask Educate Together to open a multi-denominational school within in a matter of weeks.

A report of the department’s Commission on School Accommodation predicted more than 60 primary schools will be needed within five years for the north Dublin, east Meath and south Louth region following years of mushrooming residential sprawl. It is also estimated the country’s population will grow by a million by 2020.

“I have to admit that there were bad decisions made in the past with no emphasis being placed on community, teaching and transport facilities. This is very clear to all the people living in Kildare, Meath and the wider commuter belt and it is becoming imperative because of the numbers coming into the country with young children,” said the Minister for Housing, Urban Renewal and Developing Areas.

“It will not be a question of what the developer wants but what the community needs. In light of climate change, we need to move to sustainable models where people can work and live near their homes where there is high quality public transport and where commuting is reduced substantially.”

Following a meeting with city and county managers, fast growth areas, where about 1,000 residential units are planned, will have to meet transport, community and educational protocols which will ensure they have the necessary facilities to make the area sustainable.

“We will initially focus on fast growth areas within the National Spatial Strategy’s gateways and hubs. Within these locations, I would envisage establishing discreet developing areas where the combined development potential exceeds 1000 residential units. My department will work closely with the local authorities in identifying key infrastructural requirements, particularly where co-ordination issues are emerging, given that our primary aim is to seamlessly deliver infrastructure and services in a coherent manner,” he said.

Mr O’Keeffe has established a Developing Areas Team to facilitate this work.

The team will develop assessments of each location, and work with local authorities to resolve the blockages in infrastructure and service delivery at each location.

The Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow commuter belt and planned developments like the Cork and Dublin Docklands are some of the areas likely to be targeted.