Metropolitan Area Strategic

Plans – a new policy tool Malachy Bradley A/Director

NPF Overview • Ireland’s 3 Regions:

EMRA= SRA+NWRA

• Ireland’s Capital

• Ireland’s Cities

• Ireland’s Rural Fabric

• Compact Growth

• €3 Billion Regeneration and Development Fund and the establishment of a National Regeneration and Development Agency

National Planning Framework (NPF)

NPO67 requires for the first time Metropolitan Area Spatial Plans (MASPs);

“Provision will be made for Metropolitan Area Strategic Plans to be prepared for the Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford Metropolitan areas and in the case of Dublin and Cork, to also address the wider city region, by the appropriate authorities in tandem with and as part of the relevant Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies”

What is a MASP? 12 year strategic planning and investment framework;

• Identify the key change parameters i.e. population, employment, housing, retail, travel patterns and key renewal, development and amenity areas

• Identify the sequence of infrastructure prioritisation, delivery and co-ordination

•Deliver compact regeneration and growth

Context - compact growth

• Compact growth is no. 1 strategic outcome in NPF ;

• 50% future population and employment growth within cities and their suburbs

• Infill targets to make better use of under-utilised, brownfield, vacant and public lands

• Performance based standards to achieve higher housing and jobs densities, supported by better services and public transport

• Dublin city and suburbs to grow 20-25% between 235,000-293,000 up to 1.41 million people by 2040 with 50% of new housing within built up footprint

What can MASP do in Dublin

• Better manage Dublin growth • Identify strategic regeneration areas • Key greenfield growth areas – SDZs • People intensive areas – Docklands, Sandyford • Manage opportunities for strategic renewal of

underutilised areas • Target growth along PT corridors • Address key settlements in metro area • Relocate less intensive uses outside of M50 • Better urban design / public realm Strategic Green

Networks

RSES preparation with MASP

• The MASP will be prepared in tandem with and as part of the plan making process for the RSES

• Evidence based policy cycle process commenced with initial consultation period to 16th February 2018 • Issues paper www.emra.ie/rses

• Regional profile and evidence baseline www.emra.ie/maps

Publication of RSES and Environmental Reports

Public Consultation Material Alterations (if any)

Public Consultation Draft RSES

Preparation Draft RSES

Public Consultation Issues Paper

Profile: Our Region

Evidence Gathering and Stakeholder consultation

Mapping Functional Urban Areas Dublin City and Suburbs

1.2 mill or 50% EMRA population

Dublin Metropolitan Area(DMA) 1.4 mill or 60% EMRA population

Urban Hinterland; at least 15%of the ED working in DMA

1.9 mill or >80% EMRA population

Defining Dublin’s sphere of influence to assist long term metropolitan planning

Phased consolidation

Phased transition to consolidate the existing built up area with some flexibility in the wider metropolitan area

Metropolitan Population 29.5% of national population live in the DMA, but…

Trend for peri-urban growth with decline in urban core (as well as peripheral areas)

DMA had lowest rate of Population Change between 2006-2016 in the region

How to meet sustainable growth needs aligning population trends with targets?

Diverse, young but ageing

DMA biggest cohort 25-44 years (471,594)- prime family formation years

Higher rates of pre-family young working ages in Dublin city

Young and fast growing populations in the areas surrounding Dublin

Older in established inner suburbs

Highest rate of projected increase for over 65’s + 64% up to 2030

Higher rates of non Irish nationals, nearly 200,000 people or 14.5%

0-14 19%

15-24 13%

25-44 34%

45-64 22%

65+ 12%

Age Profile

How to plan for future needs of a changing demographic?

Housing supply and demand • DMA has over half million housing units, but slowdown in

housing stock growth between 2011 – 2016

• DMA has highest rate of flat/apartment living – 1 in 4

• Divergence between household formation and units built with 2011-2016 saw reversal of long terms housing trends; • A significant drop in mortgaged households (31%) and increase in

homes owned outright (30%) - age related factors

• Increase in private renting (24%) - Dublin city the highest but also the highest rate of decrease (5%) in number of private rented households

• Higher rates of social rented (10%) in DMA but low level of social completions and pressure on state supports

• Increase in occupancy rate - 2.75 persons/household (Fingal 3.03)

• Issues: housing supply, security, affordability, homelessness

How to ensure an adequate supply of the right types of affordable housing in the right places?

Deprivation Index Selection of indicators used for resource allocation: Population change, Age dependency, Educational attainment, Professional class, Lone parent, Unemployment, Social rented

Pockets of affluence and deprivation in the DMA

How to ensure all places can meet their full potential?

Economy and employment

• Dublin produces well over half national GDP, Highest GVA/capita

• Robust mix of traditional and emerging sectors –

Creative, Agri-food, ICT and Digital, Green Economy, Financial and Business Services, Pharma, Tourism , Education and Training.

• The DMA is a global hub for FDI and high skilled jobs, however… infrastructure deficits and lack of housing choice is causing reputation damage

How can we sustain Dublin’s competitiveness and build links between FDI and indigenous enterprise?

Commuting flows to DMA

How can we better align population and employment growth, to reduce long distance commuting?

Departure – (work)< 7am

• More than 1 in 4 leave for work before 7 a.m. in Meath, Fingal, Wicklow, Kildare and South Dublin

• Only Longford, Louth and Westmeath below State Average

Structure of the MASP Dublin Metropolitan Area

• Context

• Maps and spatial definition

• Profile

• Vision

Making the Vision a Reality • Residential

• Commercial

• Infrastructure

• Amenities

Delivery of Strategic Sites • Criteria for selection of sites

• Map and priorities

• Phasing

Vision – cross cutting values

Place making

Competitive

Health and

wellbeing

Affordable Housing

Travel choices

Quality

jobs

Supporting the implementation of the NPF and setting out a vision for the development of the Dublin Metropolitan area that aligns with cross cutting values;

• Quality of life

• Healthy and attractive places

• Climate resilience

• Transition to low carbon

• Prosperity for all

Making the vision a reality; Residential Large scale regeneration areas for housing and employment: ◦ Continued delivery within

the existing built-up area of the city on high capacity public transport

◦ Many sites are already designated as Strategic Development Zones (SDZs)

◦ Other key sites under LAPs / LIAF / Rail based study

◦ Metro Settlement `have capacity

Making the vision a reality; Employment Large scale regeneration areas for housing and employment: ◦ New employment locations to

complement city centre and docklands

◦ Support employment opportunities for local communities

◦ Relocate less intensive uses within built up area to outside M50

◦ Drive regional development based on local competitive advantages, to reduce outbound commuting and improve quality of life

Making the vision a reality; Infrastructure

Underpinned by investment ; ◦ Develop public transport - Metro

link, DART and LUAS Expansion, BusConnects rapid transport system

◦ Improved Water and waste water capacity

◦ Improve sustainability, including district heating and water conservation

◦ 2nd runway Dublin Airport

◦ €230 million for Dublin Port

Making the vision a reality; Amenities

Supported by public realm and amenity improvements: ◦ Linked to social

regeneration

◦ Deliver metropolitan area cycle and greenways network

◦ Competitive bid funds:

◦ €2 Bill Urban Regeneration

◦ €1 Bill Rural Development

◦ €1 Bill Climate / Disruptive Technologies

GDA Cycle Network Plan showing primary (red) and

secondary (blue) cycle routes, as well as greenways (green) in the Dublin area

Delivery of strategic sites Criteria for selection of sites that can deliver;

• Population and/or employment growth,

• Regeneration and place making

• Prioritisation of public transport, walking and cycling

• Prioritisation of compact form/ infill development

• Use Infrastructure capacity existing or planned

• Environmental capacity

Co-ordination with relevant agencies and government departments; NTA, TII, IW, Housing Agency, DHPCLG etc

Phasing programme for delivery of critical infrastructure in tandem with residential, employment or retail growth

Lessons from International Practice

•Hannover in Germany, Flanders in Belgium and the Regional Development Strategy for Northern Ireland.

•There is no recipe- each strategic planning process must design itself.

•We are aware that the plan must be embedded in local perceptions, challenges and opportunities and that local responses matter.

•Aim to gain acceptance among many significant actors and to provide a creative, flexible and future-orientated approach in concepts and visions that do not become too concrete and too limiting.

•The Scottish model is of particular relevance to the production of the future MASP given that the parent Irish NPF document takes direction from the Scottish framework. And policy is metropolitan / city region focused.

Dublin’s advantages City of international scale

Global gateway

European capital - links to other capitals, networking and attracting visitors

Strong mix of local enterprises and multi-nationals

Dublin Airport - Global Hub

Dublin Port

Universities - Institutes - Research Centres – Young, educated population

Brexit opportunities (English speaking capital)

International level of heritage and culture

What to address to ensure competitiveness Lead regional planning for the city region which will:

Match Employment Growth and Housing-supply and affordability

Consolidate the city and its core-address housing sprawl

Establish Placemaking

Maximise Quality of life opportunities, make it an attractive place to be

Address pockets of depravation in city. Despite perceptions of wider regional inequality Dublin still has highly contrasting areas of affluence and disadvantage

Identify Infrastructure capacity issues-Water Supply, Transport, Waste etc.

Facilitate infrastructure enabled Growth- unlocking of significant sites: for example Clonburris, Docklands/north inner city, Poolbeg, Naas Road

A strong Dublin supports a strong Region

A consolidated defined Dublin City Region

provides the opportunity to redefine the rural

element and provide the environment for

effective regional development in our

region