Dick Roche (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)

From a national perspective, the eastern half of the State has witnessed the most rapid development over the past decade. It has been a challenge to respond to this phenomenon in infrastructural investment in areas such as transportation and housing, two issues referred to in the motion.

Housing development rapidly accelerated over the past decade throughout the so-called outer Leinster counties. Housing output in the Dublin city and county area was more static. However, this has put more distance between where people live and work. However, in recent years a good deal of progress has been made in countering these trends. In a far-reaching measure, the Government has for the first time put in place, and is committed to implementing, a national spatial strategy. The strategic planning guidelines of 1999 and their successors, the regional planning guidelines for the greater Dublin area, GDA, have set a policy framework aimed at accommodating significant population and housing growth in the GDA.

Major development areas such as the Adamstown strategic development zone, Pelletstown and the north fringe of Dublin city have been facilitated by significant and continuing investment in critical and enabling infrastructure such as new water services schemes and enhancement of the capacity of rail and bus services. The concentration of development in these areas represents best practice in the effective integration of physical planning and provision of transport and essential services.

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