National Planning Framework: First Revision

1. Page 41

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   Galway City and Metropolitan Area Galway has been Ireland’s most rapidly developing urban area for half a century and is a key driver for the west of Ireland. The City is located at a pivotal point on the Atlantic Economic Corridor, from where the influence of Ireland’s southern Atlantic cities (Cork and Limerick) extends northwards. The Galway Metropolitan area shares many of the challenges arising from growth and economic success with much larger cities. In common with Dublin, Galway needs to accommodate a greater proportion of the growth it generates within its metropolitan boundaries, in a greener and more environmentally sustainable manner. Challenges to be addressed include housing delivery and affordability, transport and sustainable mobility and urban quality and liveability, especially outside the core-city centre area. To grow to its potential Galway needs to address recent legacy issues arising from urban sprawl and reliance on private cars and build on key strengths, including a world class med-tech cluster, third level institutions embedded within the City, a vibrant arts and cultural scene, year round tourism and an attractive natural setting. All of these factors contribute to a positive national reputation. At a metropolitan scale, this will require a focus on the delivery of critical infrastructure required to meet the ambitious compact growth targets expressed in the NPF, including improved public transport and sustainable mobility options. It will be necessary to focus on regeneration and redevelopment projects within the existing built up footprint, and develop a more compact urban form, facilitated through well-designed medium and higher density development. It will also be necessary to identify sustainable greenfield development sites that can be integrated with the existing built up footprint of the city and serviced by high capacity public transport. Galway’s key strengths, include a world class med-tech cluster, third level institutions embedded within the City, a vibrant arts and cultural scene, year round tourism and an attractive natural setting. National Planning Framework First Revision | Page 39

2. Page 42

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   Key future growth enablers for Galway include: 14 To note GMATS is replacing the Galway Transport Strategy (GTS). Delivering a number of regeneration projects to extend and intensify the City Centre, including the Station, Docks, Headford Road and Sandy Road areas; Identifying infill and regeneration opportunities to intensify housing and employment development throughout inner suburban areas; Progressing the sustainable development of new brownfield and greenfield areas for housing and the development of supporting public transport and infrastructure, such as at Ardaun; Improving access and sustainable transport links to, and integration with, the existing employment areas to the east of the City at Parkmore, Ballybrit and Mervue; The continued expansion of the city’s third level institutions and integration with the city and region; Development of strategic regeneration and development projects and proposals for the City including: ‘Galway Public Spaces and Streets Project’; Galway Innovation and Creativity District; Galway Airport Site. Provision of a Citywide public transport network, informed by the development of a Galway Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (GMATS14) with enhanced accessibility between existing and proposed residential areas and the City Centre, third level institutions and the employment areas to the east of the city; Public realm and urban amenity projects, focused on streets and public spaces, particularly in support of an extended city centre area and where residential and employment areas can be linked to pedestrian routes; Measures to enhance and better link the existing network of green and blue spaces, in line with the County and City Biodiversity Action Plans, subject to carrying out a routing study and any necessary environmental assessments. Development of a strategic cycleway network with a number of high capacity flagship routes; Delivery of the Galway City Ring Road; Delivery of the Galway Wastewater Strategy (GWWS); Ensuring that water supply and wastewater needs are met by new national projects to enhance Galway’s water supply and increase waste water treatment capacity; Improving sustainability in terms of energy, waste management and resource efficiency and water, to include district heating, water conservation, water reuse and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), and the circular economy. Page 40 | National Planning Framework First Revision

3. Page 43

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   3.4 Southern Region 15 https://enterprise.gov.ie/en/publications/shannon-estuary-economic-taskforce-report-july-2023.html Key elements of this Region include the three cities and wider city-regions of Cork, Limerick and Waterford and their associated ports and the international airports at Cork and Shannon, a network of large towns, including county towns, many of which provide employment and functional roles much greater than their population scale, an extensive network of smaller towns and villages, many of which play regionally strategic roles, especially in remoter and peninsular parts of the region and a contrasting rural landscape that ranges from the Atlantic seaboard to rich productive agricultural lands and river valleys. The three city regions, both individually and collectively are a key asset of the region and will play a major role in both driving and accommodating a significant proportion of the additional 300,000 people anticipated in the overall region between 2022 and 2040, taking its population to 2 million people. The Southern Region increased in population by 45,000 persons (6.6%) during the 2016 to 2022 period and all counties in the region increased in population during this time. Within the Southern Region, the South East region (Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford) had the largest increase while the Mid-West region (Clare, Limerick. Tipperary) had the lowest rate of growth at 5.8%. The big challenge for this Region in the period to 2040, will be to position its cities as more significantly scaled, while also more compact and attractive, acting as metropolitan drivers for the region as a whole and as effective complements to the economic strength of Dublin. Ensuring a balanced approach in activating and realising much underutilised potential in wider rural towns and dispersed communities will also be a priority. Mid-West Counties Clare, Limerick and Tipperary comprise the Mid-Western regional area, focused on Limerick City and the River Shannon estuary, also extending into the northern part of County Kerry. A Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (MASP) has been prepared for the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan area, incorporating Shannon, through the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy process. Although focused on Limerick City and key employment and infrastructure assets at Shannon and Foynes, this regional area is supported by a strong rural economy and a varied network of towns and villages. Shannon Airport has an established role as a key travel and enterprise hub for the region, with potential for further growth. The independent Shannon Estuary Economic Taskforce’s Report115, published in 2023 set out recommendations to government on the economic development potential of the Shannon Estuary region. Future growth will be based on leveraging national and international connectivity, higher education capacity and quality of life to secure strategic investment. This must be underpinned by sustainable employment and housing development, focused on the broader Limerick- Shannon Metropolitan area and a strengthening of the urban cores of the county towns and principal settlements, as well as in rural areas. South-East Counties Carlow, Kilkenny, Waterford and Wexford, as well as the southern part of County Tipperary are included in this regional area. Although it has a strong urban structure, much of this area is rural in character and includes some of Ireland’s most productive agricultural land. Southern Region National Planning Framework First Revision | Page 41

4. Page 44

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   A Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (MASP) has been prepared for the Waterford Metropolitan area through the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy process. Strategically located between Cork and Dublin, with a network of large towns, the south-east has capacity for improved growth, but has not had a focus sufficient in scale to drive the sustained development of the region as a whole. Regional opportunities to leverage growth include national and international connectivity, especially via ports proximate to continental Europe, such as Belview and Rosslare-Europort, strengthening HEIs and further balanced employment and housing development in key settlements and county towns. This must be based on infrastructure and quality of life, rather than long distance commuting to Dublin, as is apparent in part of counties Carlow and Wexford in particular. South-West Counties Cork and Kerry and Cork City comprise the South-West regional area. A Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (MASP) for the Cork Metropolitan Area, including Cork Harbour, has been prepared through the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy process. Located beyond the Cork City functional area, North and West Cork share similarities with neighbouring County Kerry, being more rural in character, with extensive coastline, supported by a variety of large and small towns. Many of these settlements have a high degree of self-containment, operating as significant local employment and service centres for a large rural hinterland. While employment, infrastructure and strengthening of small towns and rural communities are priorities throughout this regional area there will also be a focus on more balanced and compact, connected growth. This means that housing development should be based on centres of employment and employment growth, higher densities, access to amenities and sustainable transport, in order to avoid long-distance commuting patterns and quality of life impacts. This also applies to the larger towns in this regional area, but elsewhere, in common with other western seaboard counties, tailoring policy approaches to capitalise on quality of life and sectoral strengths such as agri-food, energy, tourism and the marine, and to incentivise town and village renewal through the Rural Regeneration and Development Fund, will also be important. Key future planning and development and place-making policy Implementing the Metropolitan Area strategic spatial plans for Cork, Limerick and Waterford cities that secure long-term transformational and rejuvenation-focused city development, with a special emphasis on capitalising on the potential of underutilised and publicly owned and centrally located sites and activating their potential to boost the population and economic output levels of city centre areas as drivers for wider regions. Allied to strategies to deliver more compact urban development in the main cities, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of transport links between the cities to enable them to function in concert with each other and harness their complementary strengths in an increasingly networked manner. Measures to support the integrated development of remoter parts of this region, particularly rural peninsular areas and towns on its western seaboard, including the ongoing investment in the transport and communications area, particularly in the rollout of the national broadband scheme and further promotion and development of attractions to capitalise on underutilised potential in the tourism and local enterprise areas. Integrated planning, management and development of the areas traversed by the Wild Atlantic Way to maximise both the quality and integrity of the visitor experience and the added benefit in economic terms, especially for rural and local communities. Harnessing the potential of the region in renewable energy terms in accordance with the capacity allocation targets set out in Chapter 9: Climate Transition and Our Environment, across the technological spectrum from wind and solar, in addition to biomass and wave energy. More emphasis on consolidating the development of places that grew rapidly in the past decade or so with large scale commuter driven housing development with a particular focus on addressing local community and amenity facility provision in many of the larger commuter towns through targeted investment under relevant NPF National Strategic Outcomes. Developing a more integrated network of greenways, blueways and peatways to support the diversification of rural and regional economies and promote more sustainable forms of travel and activity based recreation. Page 42 | National Planning Framework First Revision

5. Page 45

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   Cork City and Metropolitan Area Cork already performs well as a major urban centre in Ireland and the City has positioned itself as an emerging medium-sized European centre of growth and innovation. Building on this potential is critical to further enhancing Ireland’s metropolitan profile. This requires an ambitious vision for Cork, at the heart of which must be an internationally competitive, sustainable urban environment. In the future, Cork needs to accommodate a greater proportion of the growth it generates within its metropolitan boundaries, while offering improved housing choice, transport mobility and quality of life. This means providing a range of critical enabling infrastructure to deliver large-scale urban growth - housing, transport, amenities and energy systems in a best practice European context. At a metropolitan scale, this will require focus on a number of large regeneration and redevelopment projects within the existing built up footprint, and a more compact urban form, facilitated through well-designed higher density development. It will also require significant development, on sites that can be integrated into the existing built-up area of the city and that are serviced by existing or planned high capacity public transport, including large-scale brownfield and greenfield Transport Orientated Development opportunities. One of the greatest challenges in achieving significant growth that will move Cork to the next level is addressing the long term decline of the City’s urban population. There is positive evidence that the City’s urban population is growing in the 2016 and 2022 Census and it will continue to be important to attract additional people and jobs to existing, established parts of the City. It is also necessary to grow and diversify Cork’s employment base. This means creating the conditions to attract and retain talented innovators and entrepreneurs and to be accessible to investors. A key part of addressing this is an enhanced urban environment, including better housing choice and quality, new employment locations, improved public spaces and enhanced public transport as well as safe and pleasant options for walking and cycling. The development of the major URDF-funded regeneration project in the Cork City Docklands has the potential to provide homes and jobs for thousands of people in a new urban quarter in the heart of the City. It is also necessary to improve regional connectivity in tandem with urban growth strategies for Cork, Limerick and Waterford. Average journey times per km by road from Cork to the Cities of Limerick, Waterford and Galway should be equivalent to those from Dublin. At present average journey times per km from Cork are slower per km travelled than from Dublin to the other Cities. Further to completion of the Lower Lee Flood Relief Scheme, the issue of flood management must be addressed as part of any future growth strategy for Cork, particularly in relation to areas of the City adjoining the River Lee. National Planning Framework First Revision | Page 43

6. Page 46

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   The URDF is helping to fund a number of strategic projects in Cork City and significant funding has been provisionally allocated for two projects; one for the Cork City Docklands and one for Grand Parade Quarter. These projects include important public realm and capital works which will transform these two areas of Cork City into vibrant, high quality districts. Cork City Docklands Case Study Page 44 | National Planning Framework First Revision

7. Page 47

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   Key future growth enablers for Cork include: Delivering ambitious large-scale regeneration projects for the provision of new employment, housing and supporting infrastructure in Cork Docklands (City Docks and Tivoli) as integrated, sustainable developments, including relocation of two ‘Seveso’ sites from the City Docks; The development of a much-enhanced Citywide public transport system based on the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (CMATS), incorporating the implementation of BusConnects Cork plus the Cork Area Commuter Rail Programme, and including enhanced connectivity to the Airport; Progressing the sustainable development of new brownfield and greenfield areas for housing along existing and planned high capacity public transport corridors with a particular focus on large-scale Transport Orientated Development (TOD) opportunities within the metropolitan area; Implementation of a comprehensive cycle network for Cork as set out in the Cork Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy; Measures to enhance and better link the existing network of green and blue spaces, in line with the County and City Biodiversity Action Plans, subject to carrying out a routing study and any necessary environmental assessments. Identifying infill and regeneration opportunities to intensify housing development in inner city and inner suburban areas, supported by public realm and urban amenity projects; Enabling enhanced opportunities for existing communities as development and diversification occurs, particularly through employment, learning and education support; Development of a new science and innovation park to the west of the City, accessible by public transport; The continued expansion of and integration with the City’s third level institutions including University College Cork and the Munster Technological University, of which, three of six campuses are located in Cork City; Improved Ringaskiddy Port access; Enhanced regional connectivity through improved average journey times by road; Key enabling projects required to facilitate the regeneration of Cork City Docklands, including completion of the M28 Cork to Ringaskiddy project and delivering the Great Island Connectivity Scheme to improve transport connectivity from the mainland to Great Island and Cobh; Improved rail journey times to Dublin and consideration of improved onward direct network connections; Ensuring that water supply and waste-water needs are met by new strategic projects to enhance Corks water supply and increase waste water treatment capacity; Improving sustainability in terms of energy, waste management and resource efficiency and water, to include district heating, water conservation, water reuse and SuDS and the circular economy. Limerick City and Metropolitan Area Limerick is the largest urban centre in Ireland’s Mid- West, which is focused on the lower River Shannon catchment. The region includes Shannon Airport and the port and energy-related facilities of the Shannon estuary, as well as adjoining parts of County Clare and County Tipperary. As a well-located regional centre situated mid-way between Cork and Galway on Ireland’s Atlantic Economic Corridor and with good connectivity to Dublin, Limerick has the potential to generate and be the focus of significant employment and housing growth. It is necessary for Limerick to further strengthen its position as the principal focus within the Region and to continue to address the legacy of regional growth having occurred outside the City area. A series of innovative, practical and institutional measures have been put in place to achieve this in recent years and there is evidence of a positive turnaround in terms of both population and employment growth. Limerick Regeneration, the amalgamation of Limerick City and County and the Limerick 2030 initiative, have all contributed to enhancing Limerick’s growth potential. Working together with the City’s third level institutions, Shannon Airport and bodies such as the Shannon Airport Group and the Shannon-Foynes Port Company, there is capacity to build on recent successes and add to the ambitious vision for Limerick. This requires growing and diversifying the City’s employment base and attracting more people to live in the City, both within the City Centre and in new, accessible green-field development areas. At a metropolitan scale, this will require a focus on regeneration and redevelopment projects within the existing built up footprint, and a more compact urban form, facilitated through well-designed medium and higher density development. It will also require significant development, on sites that can be integrated into the existing built-up area of the city and that are serviced by existing or planned public transport. The delivery of critical strategic infrastructure in areas such as transport, water services management, waste management, education, health and community services is essential to the sustainable growth of Limerick and is necessary to grow the city region at the scale planned for under the NPF. Regional connectivity, especially to Cork and Waterford must also be addressed and average journey times per km need to be improved. National Planning Framework First Revision | Page 45

8. Page 48

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   Key future growth enablers for Limerick include: Implementation of the updated Limerick 2030 economic strategy to create modern, city centre residential, food and beverage, leisure and office accommodation, to reposition the City Centre as the premier regional shopping destination and to deliver a series of transformational city centre commercial and public realm projects; Limerick Directly Elected Mayor to deliver the functions prescribed under the Local Government (Mayor of Limerick) Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2024; Identifying infill and regeneration opportunities to intensify housing and employment development throughout inner suburban areas, including the regeneration of Colbert Station as a sustainable mixed-use city quarter with an enhanced transport interchange; Enabling enhanced opportunities for existing communities as development and diversification occurs, particularly through employment, learning and education support; Progressing the sustainable development of new brownfield and greenfield areas for housing and the development of supporting public transport and infrastructure, such as at Mungret; The continued expansion of the City’s third level institutions and integration with the wider City and region; Provision of a Metropolitan public transport network, in accordance with the objectives of the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (LSMATS) with enhanced accessibility connecting Colbert Station, UL, Shannon Town Centre and other metropolitan centres; Delivering BusConnects Limerick to improve bus and sustainable transport services throughout the Limerick City region; Build upon the existing Limerick Metropolitan Cycle Network Study to deliver a comprehensive cycle network for the Limerick Shannon Metropolitan Area; Measures to enhance and better link the existing network of green and blue spaces, in line with the City and County Biodiversity Action Plan, subject to carrying out a routing study and any necessary environmental assessments. Enhanced rail and road connectivity to Shannon – Foynes Port, including local by-passes; Enhanced regional connectivity through improved average journey times by rail and road to Cork, Waterford and Galway, as identified within the All Island Strategic Rail Review; Ensuring that water supply and waste-water needs are met by new strategic projects to enhance Limerick’s water supply and increase waste water treatment capacity; Improving sustainability in terms of energy, waste management and resource efficiency and water, to include district heating, water conservation, water re-use and SuDS and the circular economy; Page 46 | National Planning Framework First Revision

9. Page 49

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   Waterford City and Metropolitan Area Waterford is the principal urban centre in Ireland’s south-east and is unique in having a network of large and strong regional urban centres in close proximity within each of the surrounding counties that both complement the role of Waterford and perform strong regional and local economic and developmental roles for their own areas. Given the unique urban composition of the south east and the objective to enable Waterford City to become a regional city of scale, an agreed development strategy is required to build Waterford’s population and employment base substantially while enabling surrounding urban centres to perform complementary roles. From a national perspective, the further development of Waterford City would lead to the development of the wider south-east, which has experienced economic challenges in recent decades. The City is well-served by motorway and rail links to Dublin, but requires improved road links to other major urban areas, particularly Cork and Limerick, and also within the region to towns that are not served by motorway. Waterford and the wider south-east region is also served by a regional airport and the Port of Waterford at Belview and Rosslare-Europort, which are geographically close to EU trading partners and are important in Ireland’s post-Brexit response, and by the Technological University of the South East. The key challenge for Waterford is to build scale and enhance urban quality through employmentled growth. The City’s existing employment base includes pharma, med-tech and engineering/ advanced manufacturing sectors, as well as emerging indigenous enterprises. There is capacity to build on all of these strengths while enhancing Waterford’s small-city attractiveness and quality of life. This includes capitalising on good and improved connectivity to Dublin and Cork in particular. Waterford also offers opportunities as a location for support functions in areas such as financial or professional services that may wish to avoid larger urban areas. It is also an emerging tourist centre, located on the route from Rosslare to Cork and the South-West and as a destination for cruise traffic. Key future growth enablers for Waterford include: Delivering the North Quays SDZ regeneration project for integrated, sustainable development to include an integrated transport hub, the relocation of Waterford train station to a more convenient location, and a new sustainable transport bridge; Identifying infill and regeneration opportunities to intensify housing and employment development throughout city centre and inner suburban areas; Enabling enhanced opportunities for existing communities as development and diversification occurs, particularly through employment, learning and education support; Progressing the sustainable development of new brownfield and greenfield areas for housing and the development of supporting public transport and infrastructure; Public realm and urban amenity projects, focused on streets and public spaces, particularly in the city centre and inner urban area in support of urban intensification; The development and expansion of the South East Technological University (SETU) formed in 2022 from the amalgamation of the two institutes of technology in the region – Waterford IT and IT Carlow and its integration with the City and region; Provision of Citywide public transport in accordance with the Waterford Metropolitan Area Transport Strategy (WMATS), including the implementation of BusConnects Waterford and strategic cycleway networks; Measures to enhance and better link the existing network of green and blue spaces, in line with the City and County Biodiversity Action Plan, subject to carrying out a routing study and any necessary environmental assessments; Enhanced regional connectivity through improved average journey times by rail and road to Cork, Limerick and ports within the region, as identified within the All Island Strategic Rail Review. Ensuring that water supply and waste-water needs are met by new strategic projects to enhance Waterford’s water supply and increase waste water treatment capacity; Improving sustainability in terms of energy, waste management and resource efficiency and water, to include district heating, water conservation, water reuse and Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) and the circular economy. National Planning Framework First Revision | Page 47

10. Page 50

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    Making Stronger Urban Places 4 Page 48 | National Planning Framework First Revision

Source Government of Ireland: National Planning Framework: First Revision (April 2025) · Licence the publisher's termsText read from the publisher’s PDF; tables, maps and drawings do not survive as text, and page numbers are the PDF’s (its first page is 1). Check the original before relying on a passage.