National Planning Framework slammed as 'worst document ever written'

"The National Planning Framework was the worst document ever written because it pushed everyone into large towns of 30,000, 40,000, 50,000-plus, with the exclusion of towns of three, four or five thousand," Cllr Denis Leonard has claimed.

The net result of the framework strategy is that smaller towns and villages are being left without proper facilities, as they are now all being centralised in larger towns, Cllr Leonard argued at a recent meeting of the Municipal District of Mullingar Kinnegad.

Cllr Leonard said there is "an obvious lack" of community, sporting, health, and educational facilities in rural areas of Westmeath and he asked that the executive detail "the priority infrastructure projects" in small towns and villages that they will look to fund through Rural Regeneration, Town and Village, Clar, ORI, Active Travel.

Cllr Leonard said he wanted a full discussion on how the council could maximise the resources it is putting into rural towns, adding that the refugee crisis has highlighted the lack of amenities in these places.

"So if we’re going to increase population, we need to make sure the infrastructure is there," he said, adding that because of the National Planning Framework, all new housing being built is going into larger towns only – Mullingar and Athlone.

"How can we look at a plan that will actually maximise the amount of funding under these funding streams that might come in to Westmeath over the next three years to make sure that every town, as a basic, has a community hall and has basic recreation, has proper streetscape, that type of thing to make them attractive?" he asked.

On the subject of funding streams available, the official written response stated that the council works through the community development section, regeneration team, municipal districts and local communities/community groups to identify deficits in infrastructure in towns and villages.

"In the main these needs are identified in local action plans and, where feasible, funding is sought under the schemes announced annually," the response concluded.

Director of services, Deirdre Reilly, said that the council looks to a variety of funding sources.

She said they also draw up local area plans for individual towns and every time a new fund opens, the council’s regeneration section look at how it can benefit areas.

"We are all the time trying to get the most that we can from government funding," she stated.