Anthony Lawlor (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As someone who has grown up and lived in Naas all my life, I understand the situation regarding what is proposed for the town. Under the regional spatial and economic strategy, in the hierarchy of the regional planning guidelines, it is proposed that Naas be downgraded from a tier 1 growth town to simply a growth town.

As a result of its status as a tier 1 growth town, Naas was able to access funding in recent years, with €283 million of Government investment in the town. That included the Osberstown treatment plant, increasing the capacity of the Ballymore Eustace water treatment plant, a €110 million investment in the Sallins bypass, the Osberstown interchange and the widening of the N7 to three lanes. It also included investment in schools. Mercy Convent primary school in Naas is currently being rebuilt and other schools have been proposed, including Naas community college. There was investment in Naas hospital and a business park in Osberstown. The State has invested heavily in all these things.

Tier 1 growth town designation means that housing development should be based primarily on employment growth, accessible by sustainable transport modes and quality of life rather than unsustainable commuting patterns. People may have thought that Naas was a commuter town but that is not the case. Some 11,000 people work in Naas while 7,500 leave Naas to work elsewhere. People travel from Dublin to work in Naas. The companies in Naas are not multinationals but indigenous companies, of which Kerry Foods is the largest. The Queally Group and Dawn Farm foods are located there and each employs 700 to 800 people. The county council offices are also located there. It has Naas hospital and the HSE has established a regional base there.Naas should be considered a tier 1 growth town rather than a growth town, which is what it has been downgraded to in the current proposal in the regional, spatial and economic strategy. There is planning permission for more than 2,500 houses to be built. If those houses are built, it will mean Naas will have reached the population targets set out in the strategy. Naas is an economic zone outside of Dublin. It is the only one being proposed. There is no regional growth centre between Dublin and Cork or Dublin and Limerick. That is a major corridor between the three main cities. Naas needs to be upgraded to a regional growth centre, not unlike Dundalk, Drogheda or Athlone, because it is a growth centre for employment and should not be seen as a commuter town. In the 1970s, the Myles Wright report stated it should be designated an economic zone. There are 11,500 people working in Naas town. It needs to be upgraded to a regional centre. I hope the Minister of State will comment on maintaining Naas as a tier 1 growth town and upgrading it to a regional growth town.