A Sligo/Leitrim TD says there’s ‘a black hole’ at the heart of the government’s National Development Plan because of its emphasis on city growth that will result in continuing regional imbalance.
Independent Deputy Marian Harkin says she is ‘beyond disappointed’ the plan does not aim for a balanced approach but, instead, focuses on a 50% growth in the cities of Cork, Waterford, Limerick and Galway, with the north west and border areas continuing to lose out.
And this city-focused approach will, she says, lead to the already significant gap in regional development becoming even wider.
