What is the actual development plan for Ireland?

I find it hard to believe that independent thought is put into urban planning in Ireland. Our towns and cities, with some exceptions, appear to expand in an ad-hoc manner. I have lived in many Irish towns and cities and I have witnessed first hand how they have developed. In my experience I have seen few which expanded in a civilised, well structured way. Many have been fine examples of thoughtlessness. Some bear the suspicious stench of corruption. Few look well thought out for the benefit of those who live there.

We are all well aware of the poor quality housing estates without schools, shops and recreation facilities that exist in every city, town and village in the country. What genius thought these were a good idea? We actually pay people to think about this, so what are these people doing?

Vested interests will talk the talk about the quality of Irish building. That may be the case, but this quality is not evident in any of the housing estates I have had the dubious privilege of visiting. And I am talking about my experience, and that of colleagues of mine – not some lofty report by the right-honourable so and so. I am talking about ordinary people’s experience here.

Recently I accompanied a friend who was interested in buying property in Germany. The quality of house builds there is quite a way superior to what we have here in Ireland. If we can’t get building quality right in times of economic boom, what hope of good quality housing in Ireland?

And as for corruption – we appear to have developer-led rather than planner-led policy. Other countries develop centres of population in conjunction with road, rail, schools, shops and recreation facilities. We develop the houses and the rest is an afterthought. I watch as the school where Roddy Doyle was a teacher is demolished, and I wonder will they put a thousand houses in there, and then complain about the lack of schools in the area. Or maybe I am too much of a cynic.

Today the Urban Forum has warned that Dublin’s suburban sprawl could lead to health problems for many people who live there. I got news for the forum. It already does. The stress involved in living in Dublin is something every Dubliner well knows. Not to mention the stress for those who commute to Dublin to work. It is not an experience any sane person would recommend. Commuters do this out of necessity, not choice.

The Urban Forum have suggested a second urban centre on the west coast. Yet the government are only interested in building motorways leading to Dublin, and we can only watch as Dublin sprawls out into surrounding counties with the inevitable reality that it can never have a good public transport system. It is doomed to eternal traffic problems due to abysmal planning. Can we even call it planning? I’m not sure.

The Urban Forum also want the National Spatial Strategy redrawn. This is funny stuff. For what is the National Spatial Strategy only a document, a nicely drawn map with lofty ideas which the government commissioned and then ignores. Ordinary people can see that there is a complete absence of strategy, from the top down, and a real lack of top class planning. We are not fooled. Tell us we are wrong. We are not stupid. We can see what is right before our eyes.

Other countries can look at us, and at Dublin, as the way to make a balls of things. Dublin is expanding so quickly it will soon occupy the same surface area as Los Angeles, but with less than a quarter of its population. And people GET PAID TO PLAN THIS!

The press constantly highlight the blight of road deaths. The government blame the people. I blame the planners. There wouldn’t be half the cars on the roads if they had got it right in the first place and did their jobs. We should send any penalty points received, along with the bills for health damage due to stress, to the planning office.