Mr McCreevy's plans for regional development may be more subtle than is generally recognised, argues Hendrik W. van der Kamp
The proposed decentralisation of civil servants to provincial towns and cities has created concern among those who have an interest in planning and the delivery of the National Spatial Strategy (NSS). In particular, it is argued that the strategy is doomed because not only did it contain more gateways and hubs designated towns than was good for the country, it now even fails to recognise the importance of using the instrument of decentralisation of Government departments by "spreading the jam" too thinly.
I do not agree with this interpretation. One interesting aspect of the plans is the potential for "clustering" of functions in different settlements, an aspect which has received little attention. It deserves closer scrutiny because of the potential contribution to the idea of polycentric urban development, the idea that a modern city is a network of cities, towns and villages. Like the concept of "balanced regional development", the concept of "polycentric urban development" also underlies the National Spatial Strategy.
The polycentric concept rejects the idea that towns and cities work as individual entities. It recognises the reality that people live in one town, often shop or recreate in another, and find employment in a third. Like everything else in our network society, villages, towns and cities are connected to each other and may develop different roles and characteristics within an overall polycentric urban network.
It is clear the Minister has attempted to bring Government departments to locations where there is a potential synergy, either with the function of the town or with Government agencies specifically related to that department.
Examples are the decision to locate the Department of Environment and Local Government in Wexford, where the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters is located, or the Ministry of Defence in Newbridge and the nearby Curragh, where there is a strong tradition of a military presence.
The plans also reflect potential synergies with other aspects of affected towns: the move of 100 Teagasc staff to Carlow where there is already an agricultural research base, of the Garda HQ to Thurles close to the Garda training college in Templemore, or of the Irish Aviation Authority to Shannon.
This idea of creating specific functions for towns and strengthening their role by encouraging links and synergies between private and public sector agencies, is characteristic of the polycentric concept.
This has long been a feature of the urban structure in the Netherlands, where the cities of Amsterdam (commerce and trading), Rotterdam (port and heavy industry), The Hague (government and diplomatic services) and Utrecht (national headquarters) have had traditionally contrasting roles.
What the polycentric concept can mean in an Irish context is illustrated with the gateway town designation in the midlands. This gateway is a combination of three towns: Mullingar, Athlone and Tullamore. Under the proposed plans these three towns will receive a number of strong departments: Education and Science HQ in Mullingar (300), Education and Science Department staff and the Higher Education Authority in Athlone (total of 145), Department of Finance staff in Tullamore (130). A total of 575 workers will therefore be located within the gateway.
However, if nearby towns are added in the number increases: Portarlington (90) and Edenderry (75) are close to Tullamore. Roscommon (230) and Ballinasloe (110) are close to Athlone. Longford (130) is close to Mullingar. It is arguable, therefore, that the relocation of 1,210 civil servants, or almost 12 per cent of the total number of jobs that are to be decentralised, will be related to the midlands gateway.
Commuting has become a part of Irish lifestyles and this is not always negative or avoidable. In any event, commuting between Longford and Mullingar or Ballinasloe and Athlone is quite acceptable. What matters is that towns of all sizes can function in an overall urban network without the dominance of Dublin. Let us not focus too much on gateway and hub designations. The National Spatial Strategy is about using every part of Ireland in terms of its full capacity and strengths.
The decentralisation plans have also been criticised because they will adversely affect the functioning of the public service, as such functions relate to national not regional policy-making, an argument that displays the continued perception that what is of national interest must be determined in Dublin. This need not be the case.
Again, the example of the Netherlands illustrates that national functions can be carried out in different towns and cities: national government in The Hague, and the headquarters of multinational companies predominantly in Amsterdam.
The proposed decentralisation will contribute not only to the functioning of the regions outside Dublin as healthy urban systems in their own right, but also to the realisation that what is of national importance need not necessarily happen in Dublin. This change in perception of the role of our capital may be a significant achievement of the decentralisation plans, and be more important than the actual contribution of the relocation of jobs for the reduction in congestion problems in Dublin.
The contribution of Mr McCreevy's plans to balanced regional development may be more significant than is generally recognised.
• Hendrik W. van der Kamp is head of the School of Environmental Planning and Management, Dublin Institute of Technology