From BELFAST TELEGRAPH December 8th, 1998
Laurence White investigates today's DoE report on how Ulster may change
in the new Millennium. IT is the year 2025. Memories of the violence of
the last century are fading. Northern Ireland is now a thriving gateway
to Europe. Air, sea and landbridge links to the continent have improved
and enhanced road and rail routes into the Republic, leading to new manufacturing
and service industries, have brought increased prosperity to both countries.
Tourists have flocked to the province, attracted by both its "green image"
and the new attractions which have been added to the old standards. The
Erne/Shannon waterway, the reinstated Ulster Canal and improved facilities
at Carlingford Lough have all proved powerful visitor magnets. Strict planning
regimes have ensured that the Northern Ireland countryside is still unspoiled,
but prospering thanks to innovative use of IT and teleworking which have
brought jobs to people, rather than people travelling to work. Town centres
have been built up and are revitalised. Government offices are now dispersed
throughout the province attracting further businesses and new industrial
parks are filling up on the outskirts of major towns. That is the vision
of Northern Ireland outlined in a document published today by the Department
of the Environment. "Shaping our Future" is a draft regional strategic framework
for the province - a potential agenda for action by the new Northern Ireland
Assembly. The document, of course, does not say that this is what Northern
Ireland will really be like 27 years from now. But it argues that the framework
outlined is necessary to make such a vision reality. The guiding principle
behind the framework is "together to create an outward-looking, dynamic and livable region with a strong sense of its place in the wider world; a region of opportunity where people enjoy living and working in a healthy environment which enhances the quality of their lives and where diversity is a source of strength rather than division". Key to the development of
the province in the new millennium is the creation of five transport corridors:
the eastern seaboard corridor running from Larne, through Belfast, Warrenpoint,
and Dublin to Rosslaire to carry both people and freight. road and rail
link between the newly designated Belfast Metropolitan area to Londonderry.
a northern corridor linking Belfast to Antrim, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Coleraine,
Limavady and Derry and providing access to the Antrim Glen and coast. a
western corridor running from Derry, through Strabane, Omagh and Monaghan
to Dublin. a south western corridor providing access from Belfast to Craigavon
and the heart of the west and Fermanagh lakeland and linking into key cross-border
routes between Enniskillen/Sligo, Armagh/Dublin and Ballygawley/Monaghan.
These corridors would provide a focus for future development within the
province and make it more attractive to inward investors. They would also
serve to help disperse development throughout the province, particularly
to the disadvantaged west. The Belfast Metropolitan area - Belfast city,
Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Lisburn, Newtownabbey and North Down - is seen
as the economic powerhouse of the province and the centre of administration,
specialist services, and cultural amenities for all of Northern Ireland.
Londonderry would be the pivotal centre of the north west and a key gateway
to the area. It would also have close links with Donegal. Main economic
and social development outside the two principal cities would be concentrated
in seven key regional towns, all sites on the transport corridors - Antrim,
Ballymena, Coleraine, Craigavon, Enniskillen, Newry and Omagh. The population
of Northern Ireland is expected to grow to around 1.8m people by 2025 and
an estimated 200,000 new homes will have to be built in the intervening
years. Many of these will be for 1-2 person households. A key concern is
to stop suburban sprawl in the cities and the continued growth of some small
towns and villages. The planners envisage building up city and town centres
to prevent further inner city decay. A green belt will be preserved around
the Belfast metropolitan area and overspill housing will be largely directed
towards Lisburn. Antrim and Craigavon are other towns identified as being
well placed for further housing development. Government offices could be
dispersed to towns around the province creating an attraction for other
businesses and reducing the need for commuting to the major urban areas.
This would help cut car use, although it is expected that the number of
vehicles on the roads by 2025 will be 900,000 compared to the current 700,000.
Efforts to discourage car use will include promotion of car sharing, reallocating
road space to other modes of transport in residential areas, town centres
and where there are high levels of pedestrian movement. Long-stay parking
will be curtailed in urban areas where there is good public transport alternatives.
Cycling and walking will be given increased priority in transport planning
and development schemes. The regional rail service will be improved with
enhanced commuter shuttle services in the Belfast metropolitan area, linking
into a new high speed rail service from Belfast to Derry. Development close
to railway lines will be encouraged and land zoned for new stations and
park and ride facilities. Encouragement will also be given to moving more
freight by rail, including on an all-Ireland basis and disused rail track
beds will be retained for use as footpaths, cycle ways and possible public
transport options. The seven regional towns, along with the two cities,
will form the main hubs for employment and community services. Services
will be concentrated in town centres by siting public administration, major
office developments, shopping, leisure, entertainment and cultural activities
there. Retail development will also go into town centres where possible
and Sprucefield should remain as the only major out-of-town shopping centre
in the province. Urban land will be zoned generously for job creation enterprises
and a number of large industrial sites should be strategically located throughout
the province to attract and accommodate both inward investment and local
enterprise. Information technology and teleworking are seen as ways of bringing
work into rural communities and encouragement will also be given to local
enterprise both inside Northern Ireland and on a cross-border basis. Tourism
is seen as a key economic growth area and private investors will be encouraged
to help devise new attractions and facilities. The transport corridors are
designed to improve access to important tourist areas such as the Mournes,
the Glens and the Fermanagh Lakeland as well as heritage towns like Armagh.
So can all this happen? The document, which is open to public comment until
February 15, stresses: Nothing contained in this document should be read
as a commitment that public resources will be provided for any specific
project, as all proposals for expenditure will be subject to economic, social,
financial and environmental assessment and will also have to be considered
having regard to the overall availability of resources. A continuing squeeze
on public spending is forecast and new forms of finance will have to be
explored. Examples include: more charges for public services. new methods
of raising regional finance. the involvement of the private sector through
partnership arrangements. external sources of funding, both European and
worldwide. It will be for local politicians sitting at Stormont to see how
this framework for the future can be translated into real action. |
