Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)

We do not often get a chance to discuss the town of Rooskey on the national stage but I am always delighted to discuss the needs of and challenges for smaller towns throughout the country and to point out the seminal importance of the national spatial strategy in providing a hierarchy and a framework that will allow larger towns such as Mullingar and smaller ones such as Rooskey to thrive. It is crucial that we get the big picture material right because from that will flow the right kind of decisions that will impact on even the smallest communities.

We spoke about the national spatial strategy several times at earlier stages. The national spatial strategy is Government planning policy and it has the democratic mandate of the Oireachtas. There was extensive consultation and research undertaken prior to the publication of the strategy in 2002. There were over 60 consultation sessions with all kinds of stakeholders throughout the country. The key implementation elements of the strategy, such as the regional planning guidelines, the city and county development plans and the local area plans were all devised and approved by elected members in the regions and in the counties. It is within these planning documents that effect is given to translating the strategy into real actions and policies. Therefore, I would argue that there already is strong democratic accountability on the shaping of planning policy at a regional and local level, within the broad parameters set down in the strategy.

We are not trying to re-invent the wheel here. We have a 20 year timeline for a strategy and we want to make sure it is delivered. The first indications are that a lack of co-ordination is diminishing the impact, the importance and the efficacy of the national spatial strategy.

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