Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this matter and allowing me to clarify the position on extensions to planned metro projects within the regional spatial economic strategy for the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly.

The completion of the construction of MetroLink from Swords to Sandyford was identified among the key transport infrastructure investments in the regional spatial economic strategy. At material amendment stage, the members of the assembly included the additional undergrounding of extensions to UCD and Knocklyon from Charlemont, which effectively adds an additional two metro lines to the project. The regional spatial economic strategy never proposed the extension of the metro to the Rathfarnham and Churchtown areas.

The consideration of the regional spatial economic strategy by the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government has been framed in the context of Project Ireland 2040 and the statutory requirement for the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly regional spatial economic strategy to be consistent with the transport strategy for the greater Dublin area, which provides the statutory framework for the planning and delivery of transport infrastructure for the region and with associated funding included in the national development plan.

Following this consideration, the Minister gave notice on 7 August 2019 to the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly that he intended to issue a direction under section 31A of the Planning and Development Act 2000 on objectives in the regional spatial economic strategy that identified additional rail, metro and Luas infrastructure, which went beyond the scope of the National Transport Authority's transport strategy for the greater Dublin area for 2016 to 2035, the National Planning Framework 2040 and the National Development Plan 2018-2027.

In reaching this position, the Minister took account of advice from the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport in July 2019 that the regional spatial economic strategy contains references to projects that are not consistent with the national planning framework, the national development plan and-or the greater Dublin area transport strategy. There was also a strong recommendation, also made in July 2019, from the NTA for the issuance of direction to the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly to remove, among other items, the reference of the metro extension to Knocklyon and UCD. There was also advice from the Office of the Planning Regulator.

The draft ministerial direction was the subject of public consultation from 20 August 2019 to 2 September 2019, following which the Minister, on the 11 October, appointed an inspector to carry out an independent review. This has now been received. Following consideration of this review, the Minister will decide either to extend the period for consideration or issue the direction as per the draft or with amendments by 9 December 2019.

I understand that a review of the greater Dublin area transport strategy will commence next year and will incorporate a re-examination of travel demand across the greater Dublin area based on the most recent forecasts of population and employment distribution. It would be more appropriate at this point, and through this process, that the requirement for additional rail lines, or for expediting certain elements of the greater Dublin area transport strategy, are identified and considered.