Director’s Report Eastern &Midland Regional Assembly Draft Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy 2019- 2031 Prepared in relation to submissions received pursuant to S. 24 (1) of the Planning and Development Act, 2000 (as amended) February 2019 Table of Contents Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 5 Purpose, format and contents of the Director’s report .............................................................................. 5 Submissions From: ...................................................................................................................................... 8 Chapter 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 13 1.1 Vision ..................................................................................................................................................13 1.2 Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly ............................................................................................13 1.3 Regional Spatial and Economic Strategy .............................................................................................13 1.4 Spatial and Economic Policy Background ...........................................................................................13 1.5 Process to date ...................................................................................................................................13 1.6 Regional Profile ...................................................................................................................................14 Chapter 2 Strategic Vision................................................................................................................. 15 2.2 Vision and Guiding Principles ..............................................................................................................15 2.3 Regional Strategic Outcomes ..............................................................................................................15 Chapter 3 Growth Strategy ............................................................................................................... 17 3.2 Growth Enablers for the Region .........................................................................................................23 Chapter 4 People and Place .............................................................................................................. 27 4.2 Settlement Strategy ............................................................................................................................27 4.3 Defining a Settlement Typology ..........................................................................................................29 4.5 Regional Growth Centres ....................................................................................................................32 4.6 Key Towns ..........................................................................................................................................38 4.7 Other Towns .......................................................................................................................................51 4.8 Rural Areas ..........................................................................................................................................52 Chapter 5 MASP ............................................................................................................................... 56 5.1 Introduction and Context and Section 5.2 Vision ...............................................................................56 5.3 Guiding Principles for the growth of the Dublin Metropolitan Area ..................................................58 5.4 Metropolitan Area Strategy ................................................................................................................60 5.6 Integrated Land Use and Transportation ............................................................................................61 5.7 Housing Supply....................................................................................................................................65 5.7 Employment Generation.....................................................................................................................66 5.9 Green Infrastructure and Amenities ...................................................................................................67 Chapter 6 Economy and Employment ............................................................................................... 56 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................69 6.2 Profile ..................................................................................................................................................70 6.3 Economic Strategy: Smart Specialisation, Clustering, Orderly Growth and Placemaking ..................70 6.4 The Region’s Economic Engines and their sectoral opportunities ......................................................73 2 6.5 Specific Sectors: Retail, Tourism, Marine, Agriculture and Low Carbon Economy .............................78 6.6 Drivers for resilient and sustainable economic growth ......................................................................82 6.7 Capacity Building: Bidding capacity, shared evidence base, future proof, and anticipating economic structural changes.....................................................................................................................................85 Chapter 7 Environment .................................................................................................................... 69 7.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................87 7.2 Integrated Land and Marine Planning ................................................................................................87 7.3 A Clean and Healthy Environment ......................................................................................................88 7.4 Flood Risk Management .....................................................................................................................91 7.5 Biodiversity and Natural Heritage ......................................................................................................92 7.6 Green and Blue Infrastructure ...........................................................................................................95 7.7 Landscape ..........................................................................................................................................97 7.8 Climate Change ...................................................................................................................................99 Chapter 8 Connectivity ....................................................................................................................106 8.2 Transport Strategy ............................................................................................................................106 8.3 Integrated Transport and Planning Framework................................................................................107 8.4 Transport Investment Priorities ........................................................................................................110 8.5 International Connectivity ................................................................................................................115 8.6 Communications and Digital Infrastructure ......................................................................................118 Chapter 9 Quality of Life ..................................................................................................................119 9.1 ‘Introduction and Policy Context’ and 9.2 ‘Context’ .........................................................................120 9.3 Housing and Section 9.5 Regeneration .............................................................................................121 9.4 Placemaking and 9.8 Healthy Communities .....................................................................................124 9.6 Social and Economic Opportunity .....................................................................................................126 9.7 Social Infrastructure ..........................................................................................................................127 9.9 Access to Arts, Culture, Language and Heritage. ..............................................................................129 Chapter 10 Infrastructure ................................................................................................................130 10.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................130 10.2 Sustainable Management of Water ................................................................................................130 10.3 Energy .............................................................................................................................................133 10.4 Waste Management .......................................................................................................................135