Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

There is no rebalance here. If anything, there is a move away from balance from the original 2018 document because the Department is targeting population growth of nearly 300,000 for Dublin city, which is more than all of the regional cities combined. I do not know how that is balance. Essentially, the spirit of the original national planning framework was that the gap in population and economic development between the capital and the regional cities would be narrowed and closed. However, we are seeing a retrenchment in the numbers presented here. Based on these numbers, it will take longer to close that gap. What we are seeing now is not a strategic document or vision - this should be a vision for the shape of the country in ten, 20 or 30 years’ time – but a reaction to where we see demand happening. It is confirmed in the opening statement that it is very much informed by the ESRI analysis about where demand and growth are happening. Instead of saying we want growth to happen elsewhere, acknowledging the NPF of 2018 is failing and changing the policy to get back on track, the Department is conceding the failure of the NPF and essentially doubling down on it.