Construction Federation chief calls for Cork-Limerick-Galway motorway

THE Construction Industry Federation president has called for a new motorway linking, Cork, Limerick and Galway.

Gerald Purcell told the CIF’s annual convention in Galway over the weekend there was an urgent need for more balanced regional development in this country.

“None of our regional cities are of sufficient size to be a real competitor to Dublin. A new approach is needed.

“A western economic corridor linking Cork, Limerick and Galway would be a genuine counterbalance to the growth of the Dublin region.

"A motorway linking these three cities should be designated a national priority project. A motorway on this scale would also be a suitable investment project for the National Pension Reserve Fund,” he said.

Mr Purcell said linking the three cities by motorway should be seen as a first step to integrating these regional growth centres into a new economic corridor which would be a real counterweight to the growth of the eastern region.

“I spoke in the past about our concerns on regional imbalance in the Public Capital Programme. Big budget projects in the greater Dublin area now consume an increasing share of Government capital spending to the detriment of the regions.

“The National Spatial Strategy has set the framework for future development. We need a strong political commitment and a long-term programme of sustained investment to deliver balanced regional development.

“Speaking as a West of Ireland man, I support the new thinking, which is emerging in this region, particularly the concept of a Cork, Limerick and Galway economic corridor, which will be a counterweight to the growth of the Eastern region”, he said.

“There has been much talk in recent times regarding the affordability of housing. Affordability is of direct concern to the construction industry.

"We want to continue producing houses, which sell. Of course, the cost of sites is a concern. However, our industry strongly believes that the introduction of complex constitutional and legal provisions on the supply of building land will be counter-productive.

“We are firmly of the opinion that the focus of attention at national and local government level must be on sound planning for housing and for all our infrastructure requirements. An adequate supply of zoned and serviced sites for housing is essential.

"Political attention should focus on creating a more effective market in serviced sites. This can be done by a combination of private developers and public private partnerships on servicing zoned land.”

“Partnership arrangements between local authorities and builders have the capacity to deliver a higher level of social and affordable housing. The model for such partnerships exists in a number of Dublin local authorities”.