A prominent Loop head-based rural campaigner has criticised the Government's latest planning strategy as replacing one urban area for another.
A prominent Loop head-based rural campaigner has criticised the Government's latest planning strategy as replacing one urban area for another.
'Ireland 2040', which has been launched this afternoon, looks at re-balancing development away from the greater Dublin area.
The plan is the latest attempt to balance urban and rural development and the Government claims its new planning strategy is very different to decentralisation.
The Ireland 2040 plan will try to ease the pressure on Dublin by providing more homes and services in other parts of the country.
The changes have been compared to previous attempts to move people away from the capital, but Minister Simon Coveney says it's nothing like those plans.
The ideas published today come in draft form – a public consultation process now gets underway and it's expected that the Dáil will ultimately vote on it.
However, the ideas have not been welcomed by all.
As the Housing Minister warns smaller cities need to expand to ease congestion in Dublin, the Kilbaha based founder of Rural Resettlement Ireland Jim Connolly believes it will do little for rural areas.
