A handful of regional cities are to be earmarked by the Government for expansion over the next 25 years as a way to balance economic and social growth across the country.

The new “national planning framework” will attempt to ensure that Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Galway, as well as a potential new city in the midlands, see greater population growth, more jobs and increased investment in transport links.

The proposals, to be launched by Minster for Housing, Planning and Local Government Simon Coveney next month, will attempt to direct population growth to regional cities to make them attractive investment destinations and allow the development of greater public infrastructure.

They would also prevent construction markets in Dublin from overheating while allowing the capital to continue to develop, Mr Coveney said of his strategy which he hopes will set out how Ireland will grow until 2040.

The population of Ireland will likely increase by one million in that time frame, he said, and three-quarters of that growth should take place outside Dublin.

He claimed his strategy would not follow the “one for everyone in the audience” approach of previous spatial plans, which he said designated too many places as growth zones for political purposes.

“It was almost like the decentralisation plan. There was this feeling that we almost need to create hubs in each area to try and keep everybody happy. That is not the way to plan,” he told The Irish Times.

New city

Each of the cities would, in turn, drive regional growth, and Mr Coveney said the possibility of turning a midlands town into a city could be looked at, although he declined to single out any possibilities.

Growing Cork, for example, would mean developing the city’s docklands to such a level that would allow for the construction of a light-rail system to link different areas of the city.

He said Limerick had a deep-water port, international airport, good sporting facilities and a historic city core and was “a city waiting for dramatic population growth”.

Waterford can double its population from its current level of 47,000 within 25 to 50 years as part of a “balanced” future growth of the city on both sides of the river Suir.

Mr Coveney said it could “become a much more balanced city” with “potentially thousands of houses with job opportunities”.

Economies of scale

“It needs a significant increase in population to become a city that can benefit from all the economies of scale that go with that. The truth is that our cities outside of Dublin do not have the economies of scale to function as a modern city needs to, in terms of public transport networks, light rail, universities, proper urban living in terms of densities in cities.”

His strategy would mean, however, emphasising the strengths of other parts of the country that do not need cities.

Mr Coveney will hold public consultations and debates on the plan, and will seek the approval of the Dáil for the final document. Such a move would, he believes, mean future governments containing Fianna Fáil or Sinn Féin buying into the plan.

“The reason why I am going to the people on this – that also sounds a bit lofty – I want to go around the country and say: Kerry doesn’t have a city but it has an extraordinary proposition around tourism, environment, food hubs, quality of life, around sport. But it doesn’t have a city and, actually, it doesn’t need a city.

“I say to counties like Mayo: what an extraordinary story the Wild Atlantic Way has been. Let’s build on it.”