The Government has just published “Ireland 2040 – Our Plan” for its final round of public consultations. Over the next number of weeks, until 3 November, members of the public will have the chance to review what is essentially the long-term strategic planning framework for the country’s future growth and prosperity.

Ireland 2040 – Our Plan will inform national, regional and local planning opportunities throughout our Republic together with investment decisions for at least the next two decades.

Minister Eoghan Murphy said: “What we hope to achieve with Ireland 2040 – Our Plan is a shared vision and ambition for what our country could look like by 2040. We’ve been through a period of profound change in our recent history, with new challenges to come. We now have to plan for our future if we are to successfully navigate the challenges of population growth, demographic change and evolution in work and life practices that are on the way.”

“Continuing our growth and development patterns according to the status quo and without a coordinated plan is no longer an option. By aligning our spatial planning with our investment decisions – by aligning the National Development Plan with a ten year National Investment Plan – we will for the first time have a meaningful planning framework that people can have confidence will deliver for their communities.”

Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development Damien English added: “By 2040, we know that Ireland will be home to an additional one million people, an extra 600,000 people at work, needing at least half a million additional homes. Twenty years ago, we were a country of 3.5m people; by 2040, that will be approaching 6m people and an island population of nearly 8 million meaning that vision, determination and strategic planning will be vital in ensuring that our growth is well planned and leaves lasting benefits”.

Frances Fitzgerald TD, Tánaiste and Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation said: “In today’s globalised and increasingly competitive economy, quality of place is a key competitive advantage, which is why Ireland’s enterprise policy puts the quality of our urban and rural places at the top of the agenda from a business and enterprise development perspective. Our objective is to ensure that all regions can reach their potential and provide quality jobs for people throughout Ireland. Ireland 2040 now puts in place a strong place-based development strategy for Ireland’s cities, towns and rural fabric, which will furthermore be backed up by 10-year coordinated investment planning in the essential infrastructure that makes our urban and rural fabric work and a successful basis for our country’s development in business, enterprise and innovation terms.Our cross government, cohesive approach will ensure that our implementation actions are mutually reinforcing to deliver our ambitious, enterprise policy, Enterprise 2025, and that we can realise our vision for, sustainable full employment and improved quality of life for all”.

This final phase of consultation is the culmination of years of extensive work, of stakeholder and public consultations at a national, regional and local level, including more than 30 workshops, nine regional roadshows and earlier periods of public consultation. This work, led by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government has been guided by a National Advisory Group on the National Planning framework.

Written submissions can be made between Wednesday 27^th September and 12 noon on Friday 3^rd November by:

1. Going on-line:- just log on to our website www.Ireland2040.ie and follow the instructions provided;
2. Email to the following email address only npf@housing.gov.ie
3. Writing to the following address: NPF Submissions, Forward Planning Section, Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government, Custom House, Dublin D01 W6X0.

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