THE SEARCH for a site for a new regional sewerage plant for the greater Dublin area is to resume more than three years after the original location at Portrane in north Dublin was rejected by Fingal county councillors.
The plant, which would have the capacity to process the waste of up to 850,000 people and would be second in size only to the Ringsend sewerage plant, was recommended by the Greater Dublin Strategic Drainage Study, published in 2005.
This study was commissioned by the seven local authorities in the greater Dublin area – the four Dublin councils and Meath, Kildare and Wicklow – to determine the sewerage and drainage needs of the region until 2031.
The €140 million Portrane plant was to be one of the key elements of the plan as it was to take the strain from the already overburdened sewerage systems of west Dublin suburbs of Blanchardstown, Mulhuddart, Lucan and Clondalkin, as well as catering for the needs of rapidly growing communities in east Meath and north Kildare.
However, its development has been on hold since November 2005 when Fingal councillors from all parties voted to reject any proposals for a “single super waste water treatment plant” in the Fingal area and ordered that a strategic environmental assessment be carried out on the drainage study.
The commissioning of this assessment was approved by the managers in the seven local authorities. It has now been completed and has recommended that the regional plant is necessary and should be located on the north Dublin coastline. But the exact location of the plant will only be determined following a new site selection process.
The report also said the lack of sewerage facilities was putting constraints on developments that had been accepted for the area. Future development would be “seriously curtailed” if the situation was not remedied.
The search for a new site will hold back the already delayed project by a further two years at the least before planning permission for the plant can be sought.
While Portrane has received a reprieve, it is not out of the running in terms of site selection.
The assessment did not recommend any potential sites but laid down certain environmental criteria – in relation to issues such as air and water quality, health, climate factors, and landscape impact – which will be used to choose the best site.
“The environmental report is the wringer through which potential sites will be put,” Paul Smyth, senior executive officer with Fingal’s water services department, said.
The strategic environmental assessment was last week presented to the environmental committees of the seven local authorities, with the recommendation that consultants now be appointed to select the new site. This appointment will require the approval of each local authority and is likely to take between three and six months.
The selection of a site will take a further six to 18 months.
Irish Times
www.buckplanning.ie
Showing posts with label Greater Dublin Area. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Greater Dublin Area. Show all posts
Monday, 12 May 2008
Monday, 14 April 2008
Developers targeted in clampdown on planning standards
DEVELOPERS face a massive clampdown in the Greater Dublin Area under new rules to be unveiled today.
They will no longer be allowed to build housing estates in the region unless there is proper transport already up and running.
The long-awaited Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) is charged with ending the widespread practice where developers were able to build houses, apartment blocks, shopping centres or business parks without having proper public transport in place.
The Government will today announce the establishment of the DTA to oversee transport development in Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
It will have sweeping powers to reform transport in the Greater Dublin Area.
Aside from coordinating planning of transport projects, the single transport body is also intended to speed up the delivery of infrastructure.
The DTA will also act as a watchdog for planning transport links to new developments.
The long-awaited authority is supposed to ensure the days are gone when developers are able to develop houses, apartment blocks, shopping centres or business parks without proper public transport.
Transport in the Greater Dublin Area is generally regarded as seriously lacking in joined-up thinking on infrastructure and services.
The DTA is intended to draw together all the various elements and state bodies involved in transport.
The authority will cover the areas Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey will publish the Dublin Transport Authority Bill today and outline his plans for its establishment.
The bill is regarded as arguably the most important new laws the Department of Transport will pass during this Government's term in office.
One of the main elements of this new bill are the provisions it contains pertaining to land use and transport.
The legislation has watertight provisions to prevent residential or commercial developments being built without proper provisions for public transport.
The planning authorities will in future have to agree on where development will take place and how it will be served by transport.
If an individual council objects or tries to ignore the advice of the DTA, the minister will have the power to order the council to abide by the recommendations.
The Dublin Transport Authority will cover a wide range of responsibilities:
l strategic transport planning;
l ensuring the delivery of public transport infrastructure;
l allocation of Exchequer funds for public transport and traffic management;
l procurement of public transport services;
l regulation of public transport fares;
l delivery on an integrated public transport system;
l traffic management.
Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
They will no longer be allowed to build housing estates in the region unless there is proper transport already up and running.
The long-awaited Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) is charged with ending the widespread practice where developers were able to build houses, apartment blocks, shopping centres or business parks without having proper public transport in place.
The Government will today announce the establishment of the DTA to oversee transport development in Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
It will have sweeping powers to reform transport in the Greater Dublin Area.
Aside from coordinating planning of transport projects, the single transport body is also intended to speed up the delivery of infrastructure.
The DTA will also act as a watchdog for planning transport links to new developments.
The long-awaited authority is supposed to ensure the days are gone when developers are able to develop houses, apartment blocks, shopping centres or business parks without proper public transport.
Transport in the Greater Dublin Area is generally regarded as seriously lacking in joined-up thinking on infrastructure and services.
The DTA is intended to draw together all the various elements and state bodies involved in transport.
The authority will cover the areas Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey will publish the Dublin Transport Authority Bill today and outline his plans for its establishment.
The bill is regarded as arguably the most important new laws the Department of Transport will pass during this Government's term in office.
One of the main elements of this new bill are the provisions it contains pertaining to land use and transport.
The legislation has watertight provisions to prevent residential or commercial developments being built without proper provisions for public transport.
The planning authorities will in future have to agree on where development will take place and how it will be served by transport.
If an individual council objects or tries to ignore the advice of the DTA, the minister will have the power to order the council to abide by the recommendations.
The Dublin Transport Authority will cover a wide range of responsibilities:
l strategic transport planning;
l ensuring the delivery of public transport infrastructure;
l allocation of Exchequer funds for public transport and traffic management;
l procurement of public transport services;
l regulation of public transport fares;
l delivery on an integrated public transport system;
l traffic management.
Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Developers targeted in clampdown on planning standards
DEVELOPERS face a massive clampdown in the Greater Dublin Area under new rules to be unveiled today.
They will no longer be allowed to build housing estates in the region unless there is proper transport already up and running.
The long-awaited Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) is charged with ending the widespread practice where developers were able to build houses, apartment blocks, shopping centres or business parks without having proper public transport in place.
The Government will today announce the establishment of the DTA to oversee transport development in Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
It will have sweeping powers to reform transport in the Greater Dublin Area.
Aside from coordinating planning of transport projects, the single transport body is also intended to speed up the delivery of infrastructure.
The DTA will also act as a watchdog for planning transport links to new developments.
The long-awaited authority is supposed to ensure the days are gone when developers are able to develop houses, apartment blocks, shopping centres or business parks without proper public transport.
Transport in the Greater Dublin Area is generally regarded as seriously lacking in joined-up thinking on infrastructure and services.
The DTA is intended to draw together all the various elements and state bodies involved in transport.
The authority will cover the areas Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey will publish the Dublin Transport Authority Bill today and outline his plans for its establishment.
The bill is regarded as arguably the most important new laws the Department of Transport will pass during this Government's term in office.
One of the main elements of this new bill are the provisions it contains pertaining to land use and transport.
The legislation has watertight provisions to prevent residential or commercial developments being built without proper provisions for public transport.
The planning authorities will in future have to agree on where development will take place and how it will be served by transport.
If an individual council objects or tries to ignore the advice of the DTA, the minister will have the power to order the council to abide by the recommendations.
The Dublin Transport Authority will cover a wide range of responsibilities:
l strategic transport planning;
l ensuring the delivery of public transport infrastructure;
l allocation of Exchequer funds for public transport and traffic management;
l procurement of public transport services;
l regulation of public transport fares;
l delivery on an integrated public transport system;
l traffic management.
Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
They will no longer be allowed to build housing estates in the region unless there is proper transport already up and running.
The long-awaited Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) is charged with ending the widespread practice where developers were able to build houses, apartment blocks, shopping centres or business parks without having proper public transport in place.
The Government will today announce the establishment of the DTA to oversee transport development in Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
It will have sweeping powers to reform transport in the Greater Dublin Area.
Aside from coordinating planning of transport projects, the single transport body is also intended to speed up the delivery of infrastructure.
The DTA will also act as a watchdog for planning transport links to new developments.
The long-awaited authority is supposed to ensure the days are gone when developers are able to develop houses, apartment blocks, shopping centres or business parks without proper public transport.
Transport in the Greater Dublin Area is generally regarded as seriously lacking in joined-up thinking on infrastructure and services.
The DTA is intended to draw together all the various elements and state bodies involved in transport.
The authority will cover the areas Dublin City, Fingal, South Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
Transport Minister Noel Dempsey will publish the Dublin Transport Authority Bill today and outline his plans for its establishment.
The bill is regarded as arguably the most important new laws the Department of Transport will pass during this Government's term in office.
One of the main elements of this new bill are the provisions it contains pertaining to land use and transport.
The legislation has watertight provisions to prevent residential or commercial developments being built without proper provisions for public transport.
The planning authorities will in future have to agree on where development will take place and how it will be served by transport.
If an individual council objects or tries to ignore the advice of the DTA, the minister will have the power to order the council to abide by the recommendations.
The Dublin Transport Authority will cover a wide range of responsibilities:
l strategic transport planning;
l ensuring the delivery of public transport infrastructure;
l allocation of Exchequer funds for public transport and traffic management;
l procurement of public transport services;
l regulation of public transport fares;
l delivery on an integrated public transport system;
l traffic management.
Fionnan Sheahan Political Editor
Irish Independent
www.buckplanning.ie
Dempsey unveils transport body in Bill
A body that will over see transport projects across the Greater Dublin area was unveiled by Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey today.
The Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008 will see the creation of a Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) that will have responsibility for co-ordinating transport in the Greater Dublin Area. This region takes in the local authority areas of Dublin city, Fingal, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, South Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
Under the Bill, the authority will have powers to ensure major infrastructure projects, such as the Metro, are delivered efficiently, cost effectively, and with minimal disruption. The DTA will also have powers to ensure all modes of public transport are integrated.
The public have a right to expect a world class, integrated public transport system and this new authority will have the powers to make that happen - Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey
"The public have a right to expect a world class, integrated public transport system and this new authority will have the powers to make that happen. . . . the DTA will ensure that these projects are delivered to the highest standards in the shortest time period possible," Mr Dempsey said.
“I have detected a broad level of support for the new authority. With that in mind I hope that there will be cross-party and wide public support for this Bill so that the new authority can start its work soon.”
It is envisaged the DTA will set out the framework for the delivery of infrastructure and services over a 12- to 20-year period, allocate funding for public transport and traffic management, and procure public transport services and regulate public transport fares, Mr Dempsey added.
The DTA will also be “closely engaged” in each stage of planning to ensure consistency between its transport strategy and the land-use planning process, he said.
The Dublin Chamber of Commerce said the Bill was long overdue but promised “a strong body” to co-ordinate transport agencies in the Greater Dublin Area.
“Time is not on our side,” said Gina Quin, Dublin Chamber chief executive. “Two of the biggest single projects under Transport 21 - the Metro and the Interconnector - are about to commence, and the Greater Dublin Area needs a single lead agency that can crack the whip and ensure the swift delivery of these projects with minimal disruption to businesses and commuters.”
“Dublin suffers from suburban sprawl, where workers face long commuting times with poor public transport options. This legislation provides the DTA with the powers to call a halt to this type of development,” she said.
Labour transport spokesman Tommy Broughan said the Bill should signal the end of the long-running saga to establish a DTA.
He welcomed provisions in the bill for the DTA to give binding directions to public transport agencies and to acquire land, and for enforcement measures to ensure the delivery of DTA decisions.
But Mr Broughan said Mr Dempsey had not clearly addressed the bus licensing issue, and that the Bill indicates that Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann will continue to provide existing public bus passenger services under the 1932 laws.
He said, however, that as the DTA is designated as a public transport operator "of last resort" it can provide transport passenger services if existing operators fail or are unwilling to meet the obligations and standards set out by the DTA.
Mr Broughan also expressed concerns over duplication and overlap of responsibilities and duties between the new body and the existing Railway Procurement Agency.
The Irish Planning Institute welcomed the DTA but said it would like to see the idea extended into other gateway cities and hub towns.
Ireland.com
www.buckplanning.ie
The Dublin Transport Authority Bill 2008 will see the creation of a Dublin Transport Authority (DTA) that will have responsibility for co-ordinating transport in the Greater Dublin Area. This region takes in the local authority areas of Dublin city, Fingal, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, South Dublin, Kildare, Meath and Wicklow.
Under the Bill, the authority will have powers to ensure major infrastructure projects, such as the Metro, are delivered efficiently, cost effectively, and with minimal disruption. The DTA will also have powers to ensure all modes of public transport are integrated.
The public have a right to expect a world class, integrated public transport system and this new authority will have the powers to make that happen - Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey
"The public have a right to expect a world class, integrated public transport system and this new authority will have the powers to make that happen. . . . the DTA will ensure that these projects are delivered to the highest standards in the shortest time period possible," Mr Dempsey said.
“I have detected a broad level of support for the new authority. With that in mind I hope that there will be cross-party and wide public support for this Bill so that the new authority can start its work soon.”
It is envisaged the DTA will set out the framework for the delivery of infrastructure and services over a 12- to 20-year period, allocate funding for public transport and traffic management, and procure public transport services and regulate public transport fares, Mr Dempsey added.
The DTA will also be “closely engaged” in each stage of planning to ensure consistency between its transport strategy and the land-use planning process, he said.
The Dublin Chamber of Commerce said the Bill was long overdue but promised “a strong body” to co-ordinate transport agencies in the Greater Dublin Area.
“Time is not on our side,” said Gina Quin, Dublin Chamber chief executive. “Two of the biggest single projects under Transport 21 - the Metro and the Interconnector - are about to commence, and the Greater Dublin Area needs a single lead agency that can crack the whip and ensure the swift delivery of these projects with minimal disruption to businesses and commuters.”
“Dublin suffers from suburban sprawl, where workers face long commuting times with poor public transport options. This legislation provides the DTA with the powers to call a halt to this type of development,” she said.
Labour transport spokesman Tommy Broughan said the Bill should signal the end of the long-running saga to establish a DTA.
He welcomed provisions in the bill for the DTA to give binding directions to public transport agencies and to acquire land, and for enforcement measures to ensure the delivery of DTA decisions.
But Mr Broughan said Mr Dempsey had not clearly addressed the bus licensing issue, and that the Bill indicates that Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann will continue to provide existing public bus passenger services under the 1932 laws.
He said, however, that as the DTA is designated as a public transport operator "of last resort" it can provide transport passenger services if existing operators fail or are unwilling to meet the obligations and standards set out by the DTA.
Mr Broughan also expressed concerns over duplication and overlap of responsibilities and duties between the new body and the existing Railway Procurement Agency.
The Irish Planning Institute welcomed the DTA but said it would like to see the idea extended into other gateway cities and hub towns.
Ireland.com
www.buckplanning.ie
Friday, 2 March 2007
Councils to insist on incineration
Local authorities in Dublin are planning to make it a legal requirement that a large proportion of waste collected by private firms in the Dublin area is sent for incineration.
The councils are to insist that the bulk of waste now going to landfill must instead be sent for thermal treatment once the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg is open and operational.
The move is being seen by some private waste firms as an attempt to ensure that the Poolbeg incinerator will be commercially viable, a charge that the local authorities reject. Legal challenges by private waste firms are expected when the requirement is introduced.
The direction is expected to be included in all new waste permits issued to private waste firms and will stipulate that a specific proportion of the non-recyclable waste collected is sent for thermal treatment. The amount of waste involved could be as high as 300,000 tonnes.
Representatives of waste firms were informed of the proposal at a meeting with local authority officials last month to discuss a major review of the current
waste permit system. At present there is no stipulation in permits directing firms on where they should take their waste.
Assistant city manager Matt Twomey, who is responsible for waste policy in the Dublin region, said the direction was in line with the region's waste management policy.
He said the policy stipulated that thermal treatment was seen as a better environmental option than landfill and that this hierarchy should be adhered to.
"It's an objective in the waste-management policy to direct waste to the appropriate facilities in the waste hierarchy," he said. "The objective is to achieve the best possible diversion away from landfill."
He said there would also be directions on organic material such as kitchen and garden waste, requiring it to be sent for biological treatment, which will be available at two facilities currently being planned.
Materials collected for recycling would remain unaffected by the thermal treatment direction. He rejected suggestions that the direction would amount to a landfill ban. "There will always be a requirement for landfill," he said.
Mr Twomey also rejected suggestions that the direction could be anti-competitive, as the council will operate the only incinerator in the region. Similar directions were in place in other jurisdictions and had been upheld by the European courts.
Representatives of waste firms were not commenting in public on the proposed direction until it is published in the coming months, as part of the permit review plans. It is understood that a number of firms are to consider legal challenges against any such proposal.
Discussions are ongoing between the council and owners of the private firm which won the contract to design, build and operate the facility.
Danish Oil and Natural Gas (Dong) the new owners of Elsam, which won the contract, has sought significant changes to the financing of the contract, which the council has rejected.
A decision on the future involvement of Dong is expected in the coming weeks, but Dublin City Council has insisted it will not affect the timetable of the incinerator project.
Liam Reid
© 2007 The Irish Times
The councils are to insist that the bulk of waste now going to landfill must instead be sent for thermal treatment once the proposed incinerator at Poolbeg is open and operational.
The move is being seen by some private waste firms as an attempt to ensure that the Poolbeg incinerator will be commercially viable, a charge that the local authorities reject. Legal challenges by private waste firms are expected when the requirement is introduced.
The direction is expected to be included in all new waste permits issued to private waste firms and will stipulate that a specific proportion of the non-recyclable waste collected is sent for thermal treatment. The amount of waste involved could be as high as 300,000 tonnes.
Representatives of waste firms were informed of the proposal at a meeting with local authority officials last month to discuss a major review of the current
waste permit system. At present there is no stipulation in permits directing firms on where they should take their waste.
Assistant city manager Matt Twomey, who is responsible for waste policy in the Dublin region, said the direction was in line with the region's waste management policy.
He said the policy stipulated that thermal treatment was seen as a better environmental option than landfill and that this hierarchy should be adhered to.
"It's an objective in the waste-management policy to direct waste to the appropriate facilities in the waste hierarchy," he said. "The objective is to achieve the best possible diversion away from landfill."
He said there would also be directions on organic material such as kitchen and garden waste, requiring it to be sent for biological treatment, which will be available at two facilities currently being planned.
Materials collected for recycling would remain unaffected by the thermal treatment direction. He rejected suggestions that the direction would amount to a landfill ban. "There will always be a requirement for landfill," he said.
Mr Twomey also rejected suggestions that the direction could be anti-competitive, as the council will operate the only incinerator in the region. Similar directions were in place in other jurisdictions and had been upheld by the European courts.
Representatives of waste firms were not commenting in public on the proposed direction until it is published in the coming months, as part of the permit review plans. It is understood that a number of firms are to consider legal challenges against any such proposal.
Discussions are ongoing between the council and owners of the private firm which won the contract to design, build and operate the facility.
Danish Oil and Natural Gas (Dong) the new owners of Elsam, which won the contract, has sought significant changes to the financing of the contract, which the council has rejected.
A decision on the future involvement of Dong is expected in the coming weeks, but Dublin City Council has insisted it will not affect the timetable of the incinerator project.
Liam Reid
© 2007 The Irish Times
Wednesday, 29 November 2006
Dublin's relentless sprawl leaves planning in tatters
Useful article on sprawl by Frank McDonald:
Even Cavan is now in the capital's commuter belt, writes Frank McDonald , Environment Editor.
Every set of figures tells a story, and the preliminary report on last April's census is no exception. Indeed, its population statistics starkly illuminate the Government's laissez-faire approach to regional planning and its abject failure to ensure that growth happens in an orderly way in the right places.
This is dramatically true in the case of Dublin. Under the 1999 Strategic Planning Guidelines for the Greater Dublin Area (GDA), a policy of consolidating the metropolitan area was laid down, with only limited growth envisaged for the major towns of its hinterland. But even by census 2002 this was already in tatters.
Census 2006 has confirmed the sprawl of Dublin into Leinster, and even into parts of Ulster. As the Central Statistics Office (CSO) noted in its own commentary, Cavan had the highest growth rate of the State's three Ulster counties, with "the main stimulus coming from the south of the county, which is within commuting distance of Dublin".
Virginia is now a Dublin suburb. Its population rose by 34.5 per cent to 3,188 over the past four years. The outskirts of Gorey, Co Wexford - 100km from the capital - recorded an even more dramatic population increase of 53.2 per cent, while Enniscorthy's fell by 14.1 per cent; it has not been drawn into the Dublin commuter belt - yet.
Leinster's share of the State's overall population has continued to increase, largely fuelled by the sprawl of Dublin; it now accounts for just over 54 per cent of the total. All of the counties in Leinster increased their populations between 2002 and 2006, in most cases by more than the national average rate of 8.1 per cent.
Over the past 10 years, as the CSO noted, three Leinster counties - Fingal, Meath and Kildare - accounted for nearly 30 per cent of the 609,000 growth in the State's population. Fingal grew by an astonishing 22.1 per cent over the past four years, with the largest increase (32.3 per cent) being in the Blakestown area of Blanchardstown.
Between them, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow registered an increase of 15.1 per cent in the same period. The Midland Region, with an 11.5 per cent rise, also comfortably exceeded the national average rate of increase. As the CSO noted, its counties - Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath - also form part of the wider Dublin commuter belt.
By contrast, Dublin's own population grew by just 5.6 per cent, with the large increase in Fingal being offset by smaller increases in Dublin city (2 per cent), Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown (1 per cent) and South Dublin (3.4 per cent). The main reasons were attributed by the CSO to "the relatively low level of new housing and an ageing population".
As Hubert Fitzpatrick, director of the Irish Home Builders' Association, said: "What is happening is that the failure to provide sufficient zoned and serviced lands in Dublin . . . is creating a doughnut effect, whereby increasing numbers of Dublin-based workers are being forced to move further and further from the city".
And as outer suburban areas experienced spectacular growth - 54.6 per cent in Ratoath, Co Meath, for example - established suburbs saw their populations decline. The Ludford area of Ballinteer and Williamstown in Blackrock - both in south Co Dublin - each fell by 10.2 per cent, while the centre of Dún Laoghaire dropped by 13.1 per cent.
Declines ranging from 8.1 to 9.2 per cent were registered for other Dublin suburbs experiencing the effects of the "empty nest" syndrome, such as Beaumont, Cabra, Harmonstown and Rathmines. This was true even in parts of Tallaght, where the population fell by 11.5 per cent in Killinarden and by 16.6 per cent in Glenview, while Jobstown went up by 27.9 per cent.
The flight of younger people to outer suburban areas was mirrored in Cork, Limerick and Waterford. The populations of Cork city and Limerick city fell by 3.2 per cent and 2.7 per cent respectively, even though Co Cork (up 11.4 per cent) was the fastest growing county in Munster, followed by Co Waterford (up 9.2 per cent) and Co Limerick (up 8.3 per cent).
Co Galway experienced an 11 per cent increase, while the rapid growth in the population of Galway city experienced since the 1991 census moderated to 9.3 per cent between 2002 and 2006. One of the reasons given was that many infill developments in city areas consisted of apartments catering for only one or two persons.
One encouraging trend is the re-population of Dublin's inner city. The biggest increase (56 per cent) was recorded in Arran Quay C, largely as a result of the redevelopment of Smithfield. Other major growth areas include Kilmainham (up 45.2 per cent) and Merchants Quay E (up 42 per cent).
Residential developments in Docklands are also reflected in the census results, with North Dock C up by 15.6 per cent and South Dock by 36.1 per cent, while frenetic building activity on the city's northern fringe has boosted Grange by 34.3 per cent and Kilmore A by 20 per cent.
But Hubert Fitzpatrick is right in saying that the planning system "seriously miscalculated population trends", especially in the GDA. Regional planning guidelines based their zoning recommendations on a projected population of 1.8 million by 2020. However, with this already at 1.67 million, the real figure in 2020 is more likely to be 2.2 million.
"This has huge implications for the amount of land zoned for all types of development and for the resources put aside to service these lands," he said.
More generally, the rising population will place added pressures on an already burdened public infrastructure - even as many existing facilities are under-utilised as a result of the crazy pattern of Ireland's growth.
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