Regional strategy (RSES) · Eastern and Midland Region
Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2019–2031
The regional strategy for the Eastern and Midland Region, including the Dublin Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan.
Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly · June 2019 · 244 pages
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- Ireland’s Cities Supporting ambitious growth targets to enable the four cities of Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford to each grow by at least 50% to 2040 and to enhance their significant potential to become cities of scale. Ireland’s Three Regions Targeting a level of growth in the country’s Northern and Western and Southern Regions combined, to at least match that projected in the Eastern and Midland Region. Ireland’s Rural Fabric Reversing town/village and rural population decline, by encouraging new roles and functions for buildings, streets and sites. Compact Growth Targeting a greater proportion (40%) of future housing development to be within and close to the existing ‘footprint’ of built-up areas. Ireland’s Capital Supporting the future growth and success of Dublin as Ireland’s leading global city of scale, by better managing Dublin’s growth to ensure that more of it can be accommodated within and close to the City. DUBLIN WATERFORD CORK LIMERICK GALWAY ATHLONE SLIGO LETTERKENNY DERRY/ LONDONDERRY BELFAST DROGHEDA DUNDALK NEWRY REGIONAL CENTRES CROSS BORDER NETWORK CITIES Northern andNorthern andNorthern andNorthern andNorthern andNorthern and Western RegionalWestern RegionalWestern RegionalWestern RegionalWestern RegionalWestern RegionalWestern RegionalWestern RegionalWestern Regional Assembly AreaAssembly AreaAssembly AreaAssembly AreaAssembly Area NorthernNorthernNorthernNorthern IrelandIrelandIreland Eastern and MidlandEastern and MidlandEastern and MidlandEastern and MidlandEastern and MidlandEastern and MidlandEastern and Midland RegionalRegionalRegionalRegional Assembly AreaAssembly AreaAssembly AreaAssembly Area Southern RegionalSouthern RegionalSouthern RegionalSouthern RegionalSouthern RegionalSouthern Regional Assembly AreaAssembly AreaAssembly AreaAssembly Area 23 Figure 1.3 NPF map 11Introduction
- Enterprise 2025 The national vision is that the Country is best placed to succeed in business by delivering sustainable employment and higher standards of living for all. Policies re-assert an export-led growth strategy underpinned by talent and innovation. This national policy aims to deepen resilience in the enterprise base to support the creation of quality jobs throughout Ireland so that full employment is sustainable over the longer term. Key national economic priorities in Enterprise 2025 that set the parameters for the development of the RSES growth strategy include to; • increase the emphasis on developing Irish owned enterprises – embedding resilience in our enterprise base, enhancing productivity and delivering quality jobs – including supporting companies to navigate their way through Brexit • harness the distinctive characteristics of our foreign and Irish owned enterprise mix through collaboration and clustering • place a spotlight on innovation and talent and leverage our strengths in disruptive technologies so that we achieve our ambition with more enterprises developing new products, services and solutions to compete effectively against international competition • realise the full potential of our Regions through investments in placemaking - developing places that are attractive for business investment and for people to live and work • develop our international relationships and strengthen economic diplomacy to raise Ireland’s visibility, protect Ireland’s reputation and provide opportunities for our enterprises. Review of the National Spatial Strategy and the Regional Planning Guidelines The National Spatial Strategy, 2000 introduced the concept of polycentric development in Ireland, with a focus on strengthening of the role of urban centres which have the potential to develop into ‘nodes’ or gateways’ to promote a more balanced regional development and counterbalance to the dominant capital. The Regional Planning Guidelines (RPGs) were to support the implementation of the NSS as a policy tool to achieve the Government’s objective of more balanced regional development. The RPGs provided the link between the national and local planning frameworks providing more detail and establishing a development and spatial framework that was used to inform local authority development plans and other planning strategies at county, city and local level. 12 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- 1.5 The RSES Process Key stages in the RSES Process The Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly intends on publishing a Draft RSES Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy, and associated environmental reports, in the second quarter of 2018 and this Draft will be placed on public display for at least ten weeks during which time submissions and observations will again be invited. Figure 8.1. Key Stages in the RSES and parallel Strategic Environmental Assessment Process Following consideration of observations on the Draft, the Regional Assembly will consider appropriate amendments and will subject the Draft and any proposed amendments to a rigorous environmental assessment process. Once all of these steps have been taken, the Eastern and Midlands Regional Assembly will adopt and publish a Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Eastern and Midland Region, including a Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan for Dublin by the end of 2018. Once the RSES is adopted by the 38 members of the Regional Assembly, each planning authority and public body within the region will be obliged to review their plans and programmes and consider any variations to those plans and programmes is necessary in order to achieve the objectives of the RSES. Figure 1.4 RSES Process In preparing the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) EMRA engaged in a dedicated collaborative approach to consultation. This included a series of consultation meetings undertaken with local authorities, state agencies, public bodies and other interest groups. Five Technical Working Groups were set up under the four themes of Place, Infrastructure, Economy and the Environment and in relation to the Dublin Metropolitan Area (MASP), and a series of workshops were held with relevant stakeholders. A Senior Officials Advisory Group, made up of representatives from local authorities, government departments and public agencies provided a strategic advisory role during the process. The Assembly is also arranged into three Strategic Planning Area (SPA) Committees consisting of elected members, who developed policy and considered the preparation of the RSES. A significant evidence gathering exercise informed the initial preparation of the RSES. This culminated in the publication of an Issues Paper and an associated background Socio- Economic Evidence Baseline Report, prepared in collaboration with the All-Island Research Observatory (AIRO) at Maynooth University, in order to provide a detailed overview of the socio-economic characteristics of the Region. Interactive maps were also made available on the EMRA Web Viewer. This demonstrates the Assembly’s commitment to an evidence-based policy making approach to the RSES process. Stage 1: Issues Paper The Issues Paper was made available for public comment between 20th November 2017 and 16th February 2018, seeking submissions on relevant strategic planning and economic development matters. 171 submissions were received during the consultation process and a Director’s Report on the submissions was prepared and considered by the Assembly prior to preparing the draft RSES. Stage 2: Draft RSES On foot of the above consultations and engagement at the EMRA meeting of 19th October 2018 a draft RSES was prepared and made available for public consultation between 5th November 2018 and 23rd January 2019 inclusive. 312 submissions were received and a Director’s Report was prepared. At the EMRA meeting of 1st March 2019, the submissions were considered and the memebers agreed to make the Strategy subject to 139 proposed Material Amendments. Stage 3: Material Amendments The proposed Material Amendments accompanied by updated environmental reports were made available for public consultation between March 15th and April 12th 2019 inclusive. 106 submissions were received to this third and final public consultation process and a third Director’s Report on the submissions was prepared. Stage 4: Final RSES Following consideration of the Director’s Report on the Proposed Material Amendments, the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly at the EMRA meeting on the 3rd May 2019 decided to make the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy for the Eastern and Midland Region on the 28th June 2019, in accordance with section 24 (9) of the Planning and Development Act 2000. The RSES was subject to a Ministerial Direction issued on 14th January 2020. 13Introduction
- 1.6 Regional Profile The EMRA is one of the three Regional Assemblies in Ireland. The Region covers nearly 14,500 square kilometres, which is the smallest in terms of land area but the largest in population size, with over 2.3 million people. The Eastern and Midland Region is also the primary economic engine of the state providing more than 1 million jobs. The main settlement is the capital city of Dublin, which is home to 1.2 million people and is supported by a network of regional and county towns and an extensive rural hinterland. The Region is also home to areas of rich heritage and immense natural beauty that support a varied tourism and recreation offering, with more than 270km of coastline from Carlingford Lough in County Louth to Kilmichael Point on the Wicklow-Wexford border. Key natural assets include the raised bogs and lakes in the Midlands, the Wicklow Mountains National Park, Slieve Bloom Mountains, the bays and estuaries of the eastern seaboard including the Dublin Bay UNESCO Biosphere and inland waterways such as the Royal and Grand Canals and the Shannon corridor, which are a key focus for water-based tourism. Our built heritage includes historic and walled towns, world class museums and attractions such as the Guinness Storehouse, the Book of Kells and the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bru na Boinne, the medieval monasteries of Clonmacnoise and Glendalough and a number of historic castles, houses and demesne landscapes. The Eastern and Midland Region is the economic engine of the State and is on the trans-European network linked to Liverpool across the Irish Sea and to Belfast along the M1 Corridor. The Region is administratively based on three Strategic Planning Areas (SPAs) namely, The Dublin SPA, The Eastern SPA and The Midlands SPA, which provide for a sub-regional planning remit. The SPAs recognise the historic connections and ongoing similarities that exist at this level. The Dublin region is the main global gateway to Ireland, with Dublin Airport one of the fastest growing in Europe and continued growth both in the import and export of goods through Dublin Port. The Eastern counties have the benefit of proximity to Dublin and a strong tourism and leisure offering as well as good national and international connectivity. The Midlands is a dynamic region, centrally located in the heart of Ireland with a high-quality environment and quality of life and unparalleled national interconnectivity. Population 2016 Population Density per km Population Change 2000-2016 292,300 44 persons +16.1% (40,600) 688,900 100 persons +17.4% (102,200) 1,347,400 1,455 persons +13.5% (160,200) Midland Region Longford Louth Fingal Westmeath Meath South Dublin Dublin City Dún Laoghaire- Rathdown Laois Wicklow Offaly Kildare Eastern Region Dublin Region Figure 1.5 Our Strategic Planning Areas: Vital Statistics, CSO 2016 14 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- A Growing Region From 2006 to 2016 the Region grew by 15% - an increase of over 300,000 people – exceeding the state average growth rate of 12% over the same period. The Region contains some of the fastest growing communities in the Country which increases demand for housing, infrastructure and services in those areas. Recent trends show that population growth is set to continue having regard to the Region’s young demographic profile and a return to net inward migration as the Country returns to economic growth after a severe economic crash in 2008. However, population growth rates varied across the Region, with some peripheral and inner urban areas experiencing population decline between 2006 and 2016, while other areas have seen significant growth rates see Figure 1.6. In line with a prevailing state-wide trend of urbanisation, the Region saw the continued increase in the share of population residing in urban areas however alongside this is a trend for counter urbanisation with strong growth in the peri-urban and rural areas surrounding Dublin. Laois and Fingal were the fastest growing counties, with significant growth rates of 26% and 23% respectively. Fig 1.6 Population Change (%) 2006-2016 15Introduction
- Young and Diverse It is important to understand the age breakdown and demographic profile of our population if we are to plan for the long-term housing, transport, education and employment needs of our young, yet ageing population and to attract and retain our highly skilled and multi-cultural labour force. 65 + years 12% 45-64 years 23% 25-44 years 32% 15-24 years 12% 0-14 years 21% EMRA Age Profile (CSO, 2016) Figure 1.7 Age structure – EMRA and State, CSO 2016 Young: In 2016 the age profile of the Region is young with nearly half a million children or 1 in 5 people in the Region that are aged under 14 years of age, rising to 1 in 4 of the population in fast growing counties like Fingal and Laois. The population surge is moving up from primary school age and the number of children of secondary school age children is expected to rise to 2026 and decline thereafter. By 2031 there will be a significant increase in the number of people in the 15-24 years age cohort, which will lead to greater demand for third level education. Labour force: There are over one and a half million people of working age (15 – 64 years) in the Region, a key human capital asset with nearly 1 in 3 of the population in Dublin alone between 25 and 44 years. Labour force growth is set to continue and although its relative share is to decrease, the overall size of the working age population is projected to rise, with increases in the cohorts between 15-29 years and 45-64 years. Accordingly, there will be continued demand for ongoing skills development and also for family homes as well as smaller and one-person households. Ageing: In line with state-wide trends the population is rapidly ageing. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, at an average age of 39 years, is the oldest county in the Region and state. By 2031 there will be a significant increase in the regional population aged over 65 and we need to plan for adequate healthcare, accommodation and services to enable independent living for as long as possible, encourage active lifestyles and address isolation for our older residents. Diverse: In 2016 the Region is the most demographically diverse in the state, with nearly 300,000 people or more than 1 in 8 residents who are non-Irish nationals, rising to around 1 in 6 in Dublin City, Fingal and Longford counties. Countries of origin include Poland, Lithuania, UK and other EU nationals while migrants from Africa and Asia are mostly concentrated in Dublin. The number of non-Irish nationals fell for the first time between 2011-2016 partly due to the increase in dual citizenship, as more people become Irish citizens. 16 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- Quality of Life Placemaking is an essential link between spatial planning, improved quality of life and creating places that are attractive to live, work, visit and invest in. Along with demographic change here are a number of issues to consider when seeking to promote and create healthier places including access to services, housing, sustainable transport and social and economic opportunities. Housing: The Region is home to over 800,000 households, with 4 out of 5 living in conventional housing while apartments account for around 18% or our housing stock. Homeownership is still the dominant tenure but rental is growing, with 1 in 5 households in the private rental market and 1 in 10 households living in social rented accommodation. One of the challenges facing the Region is the continued growth rates of household formation coupled with a severe slowdown in the development of new housing stock during the economic recession, resulting in housing supply and affordability pressures in both sale and rental markets, particularly in Dublin and urban areas but affecting all of the Region. Employment; The Region has a robust enterprise base of traditional and emerging sectors and strong clusters of universities and research centres to support innovation. A highly skilled labour force has helped the Region attract FDI and multi-national enterprises (MNEs). The Dublin region is a global hub for international investment and high value jobs in ICT, financial and business services while local enterprise and small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) provide vital employment across the whole of the Region. The Eastern and Midland counties have the highest share of micro-enterprises with specialisations, which include tourism, the equine, food and creative industries. Deprivation; The Trutz Haase deprivation index identifies areas of affluence and deprivation in the Region. Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown is the most affluent local authority in the State and the Region, while Longford is the most disadvantaged in the Region and is the third most disadvantaged local authority in the State, see Figure 9.3 (Chapter 9 Quality of Life). However there are pockets of disadvantage across the Region, with 15% of the population living in disadvantaged areas, sometimes in close proximity to areas of relative affluence. Education and skills are closely related to employment opportunities, with rates of third level education highest in Dublin and lowest in the Midlands, while rates of technical/apprenticeships were higher in the Eastern and Midland counties. Travel patterns; Where there is a mismatch between the locations of jobs and where people live, it leads to long distance commuting, see Figure 1.8 which shows the location of jobs compared to the number of resident workers across the region. The commuter catchment of the Dublin Metropolitan Area now extends into parts of the Midlands, Louth and south into Wexford. While Dublin has higher rates of sustainable transport, private vehicles remain the primary mode of travel to work or education across the whole of the region. Long distance car-based commuting is a key challenge that is leading to congestion of transport networks and negative impacts on people’s quality of life and on the environment. Fig 1.8 Resident Workers and Local Jobs, CSO 2016 17Introduction
- Functional Urban Areas (FUAs) 1 The standardised EU/OECD definition of a city region or urban ‘hinterlands’ is the commuter catchment from which are least 15% of the relevant ‘urban core’ workforce is drawn. 2 The functional urban ‘hinterland’ of the Dublin Metropolitan Area includes all Electoral Districts (EDs) where at least 15% of their employed residents are working in the Dublin Metropolitan Area based on Place of Work (POWCAR) 2016 census data. 3 The urban core for this analysis are based on NTA/TII delineations of settlements which are modifications of CSO settlement boundaries to allow for additional local jobs locations outside residential areas. 4 ‘Large towns’ in the Region are towns with a population over 10,000 people or 2,500 local jobs. Urban and rural areas can be interconnected to each other through many different social and economic interactions. As the places where people live, work and socialise often extend across local and regional administrative boundaries, an understanding of these cross boundary ‘functional’ areas is needed to help better plan for the provision of infrastructure, transport, housing, services and amenities in our Region. The National Planning Framework identifies an urban structure for the Region based on commuting patterns, with reference to the EU/OECD definition of ‘functional urban areas’ (FUAs)1 which is used to identify areas with different sub-regional interdependencies and influence in the region. The FUAs support and augment the Strategic Planning Areas (SPAs), which provide for a sub-regional planning remit, through recognising spatial, social and economic similarities and differences within each SPA. These FUAs are; • The Dublin Metropolitan Area (DMA), home to 1.4 million people in 2016, is the main international gateway to Ireland and includes the continuous built up city area and a number of highly urbanised surrounding settlements within a polycentric metropolitan area. The Metropolitan Area Strategic Plan (MASP) in Chapter 5 identifies a number of large-scale strategic residential and economic development areas, that will deliver significant development in an integrated and sustainable manner in the metropolitan area. • The Core Region; which is the peri-urban ‘hinterlands’2 within the commuter catchment around Dublin, which covers the Eastern counties and extends into the Midlands, north into Louth and south beyond the Region into Wexford. The Core Region is home to over 550,000 people with some of the youngest and fastest growing towns in the Region and the State. • The Gateway Region3; includes the Midlands and north east border areas, outside the Core Region, which are strategically located as inter-regional portals to the Northern and Western and Southern Regions, where over 400,000 people reside. The Gateway Region also includes the Regional Growth Centres of Athlone and Dundalk, a number of large county towns as well as smaller towns and villages which support the wider rural and agricultural area where the population is more dispersed. While the influence of Dublin extends across much of the Region, it is important to recognise that the Region also contains an extensive network of large economically active towns, which provide key services and employment functions for their own hinterlands or ‘Functional Urban Areas’ (FUAs). The size of the FUA, relative to the urban core, shows the influence of these urban centres over their surrounding hinterlands. See Figure 1.9 which shows those large towns4 in the Region that have an identifiable FUA. See also Appendix E for definition of Functional Urban Areas in the Region. 18 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
- Figure 1.9 Functional Urban Areas, Dublin and Large Towns CSO 2016 19Introduction
- 2 Strategic Vision At its core, the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy (RSES) sets out a settlement and economic growth strategy that seeks to ensure that the needs of the Region’s citizens such as access to employment opportunities and services, ease of travel and overall well-being are met. The shared vision and set of outcomes for the RSES have been informed by an extensive public consultation and developed in collaboration with our elected members and key stakeholders, reflecting the Assembly’s co-production approach to regional policy formulation. Using a regional collaboration approach the RSES has developed a shared vision, on behalf of our citizens, that sets the strategic direction for where we want our Region to be by 2031 and beyond. 2.1 Our Shared Goals 16 Regional Strategic Outcomes (RSOs) are aligned to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the EU thematic objectives and national policy including the NPF’s National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs) to embed a coherent policy hierarchy and to ensure that future investment is targeted towards identified policy recommendations and goals. There is significant policy alignment between the UN SDGs and the National Planning Framework’s National Strategic Outcomes (NSOs). The development of Regional Strategic Outcomes in the RSES is also closely aligned and supportive of the NSOs. Figure 2.1 EU Thematic Objectives 20 Regional Spatial & Economic Strategy
Source Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly: Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2019–2031 (June 2019) · 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.