Dr. Cathal FitzGerald:

When we did the analysis in 2019 we looked at the extent to which the policy set-up in Ireland was conducive to delivering transport-oriented development. The elements we looked for, unsurprisingly, were the four we saw as being critical: the vision, the decision, the institution and the funding. At that time, we reviewed the national planning framework, the national development plan and the regional spatial and economic strategies, which were in draft form at the time. While we found that in the first instance the vision was present in that the national planning framework does set out an adequate vision for compact growth, sustainable mobility and having 40% of new homes within existing developments, there is an institutional issue. We find that responsibility for transport planning, transport investment and housing development are separate. They are complex areas and there are good reasons specialties are required across Departments.

Where TOD is undertaken, as opposed to everyday development throughout the country, more intense collaboration is required. We find that having separate entities for investing in transport planning and housing is sub-optimal. This is why we think that once a decision is taken to deliver transport-oriented development at a suitable location the institutions that support it are required very quickly afterwards.

This brings us to the next point on funding. The typical funding models for Exchequer Vote and capital expenditure, noting that of the €130 billion in the national development plan €3 billion will be spent on transport this year, do not capture the uplift to allow building the infrastructure, services and green spaces that make these areas attractive in advance. If we look at what we are planning now with the metro and quality bus corridors, do we have mechanisms in place in advance? We put a thought experiment in our analysis. If at each of the 16 stations along the metro route 1,000 homes got a typical uplift of €114,000 from being proximate to the nodes the State is providing it would mean in excess of €1.5 billion that could go to capital and operational expenditure, as happens with Transport for London. It starts by having the vision in place, which we do, and quickly afterwards making a decision on the site having formal institutional co-ordination and, flowing from this, the ability to capture the uplift. I would say that in 2019 we felt there was no institution to prevent a siloed approach.