The president of the Irish Planning Institute (IPI) has said the National Spatial Strategy is becoming a "devalued currency" which the Government is sacrificing on the "altar of political expediency".
Mr Iain Douglas told the opening day of the National Planning Conference in Mullingar the plan to decentralise civil and public servants was "overtly political gerrymandering".
He said the recently announced relaxation of rules on rural one-off housing was inconsistent with investment in water and sewerage infrastructure in towns and villages.
"The commitment of Government to long-term strategic planning has to be questioned, as does the political will to redress regional imbalance in Ireland today", Mr Douglas said.
He said planner's role were becoming more demanding with the "achievement of social consensus" becoming part of their duties.
The Minister State for Environment and Local Government, Mr Noel Ahern, opened the conference today by acknowledging the "efficient processing of large-scale housing planning applications".