Government concerns on SF affected NE spatial strategy

Fianna Fáil concerns about Sinn Féin played a role in a Government decision to designate both Cavan and Monaghan as development hubs in the north-east under the National Spatial Strategy.

Newly released documents reveal that a warning from a Fianna Fáil deputy that granting the development hub status to Monaghan alone would reward Sinn Féin.

Official Government documents on the preparation of the strategy in 2002, obtained by Fine Gael, reveal that Cavan was not included as a hub in the draft strategy as late as June 2002.

However, the newly released files reveal that three months later, the Taoiseach asked staff to pass on a warning about Sinn Féin from Fianna Fáil Cavan deputy, Mr Brendan Smith, to the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, who was drawing up the document.

Cavan as well as Tuam were subsequently added to the list of development hubs when the spatial strategy was agreed by cabinet at the end of 2002.

Details of the background to the preparation of the National Spatial Strategy were provided to Fine Gael deputy, Mr Fergus O'Dowd (Louth), under the Freedom of Information Act.

The documents reveal that a draft strategy drawn up in June 2002 proposed designating Ennis, Kilkenny, Mallow, Monaghan, Wexford and Tralee/Killarney and Ballina/Castlebar as development hubs.

The files obtained by Mr O'Dowd, Fine Gael's spokesman on Community, Rural and Gaeltacht affairs, reveal that in September 2002, Mr Smith made representations to the Taoiseach's office about rumours that Cavan was to be excluded.

Mr Smith's representations were recorded in a note between two senior aides of the Taoiseach which was dated September 3rd, 2002.

"Brendan rang me last week. He wanted the Taoiseach to know the 'political' situation in Cavan regarding the possible/ rumoured inclusion of Monaghan as a hub at the expense of Cavan.Monaghan has not grown its population to the same extent as Cavan and, if Monaghan got the nod over Cavan, it would seem to be rewarding them and the SF vote in the county, whereas Cavan has managed to keep it at bay.

"I relayed this to the Taoiseach who asked me to pass it on to Martin Cullen. I would be obliged if you might take it up with Minister Cullen's political people on your return," the note stated.

The files obtained by Mr O'Dowd also reveal that the Department of Finance urged that the National Spatial Strategy "should provide clear guidance to private and public decision makers in the area of investment location".

Fine Gael said last night that the Department of Finance's position had been ignored when the Government decided on the decentralisation plan last December.

Mr O'Dowd said that files showed that there was political spatial planning in addition to real spatial strategy under way in the run-up to the publication of the report.

The Department of Finance, in its submission to the strategy, opposed including lists of specific and uncosted transport projects in the strategy.

It said that this would "encourage unrealistic expectations of what the NSS can and indeed should deliver".

"A clear recollection from one of the research papers is that mainline and freight rail connections register very low on the scale of importance of infrastructural provision, and yet rail seems to be accorded the same level of priority as roads, energy and telecommunications".

Fine Gael's transport spokesman, Mr Denis Naughten, said last night that the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, "was writing cheques that the Department of Finance would not meet" when he announced a feasibility study into the western rail corridor before the local elections.

National Spatial Strategy: 'gateways' and 'hubs' revisited

The Government's National Spatial Strategy designates nine cities and large towns as economic "gateways" and a similar number of centres as economic "hubs".

The document, published in 2002, is a 20-year strategy aimed at providing a basis for the integration of planning and transport plans across the country.

The gateways comprise the five main cities in the country, as well as the towns of Dundalk, Sligo, Letterkenny, Athlone, Mullingar and Tullamore were identified as a "linked" gateway.

The gateways were considered to be centres with a critical mass of population which could sustain third-level educational institutions, public transport, housing and leisure facilities which were deemed necessary criteria for further economic expansion.

Nine strategically located medium-sized towns were designated as hubs under the strategy.

They were considered to have the necessary population to support the economic activity of the gateways. In theory, economic development would spread from the gateways to the hubs.