National Spatial Strategy

The NSS was published on November 28th, 2002. The NSS is a new and visionary framework designed to co-ordinate future development and planning in Ireland over the next 20 years, in a sustainable way. By bringing people, services and jobs closer together, it will open up new opportunities for everyone. The NSS has a number of key messages:

A Better Spread of Job Opportunities

• Sustain Dublin’s Role as an engine of the economy
• Strengthen the drawing power of other areas
• Bring people, employment and services closer together

Better Quality of Life

• Less congestion
• Less long distance commuting
• Increased access to health, education, leisure and other services

Better Places to live in

• Coherent national planning framework
• Taking care of our environment
• Making the most of our cities, towns and rural areas

The strategy outlines how a strengthened network of cities and towns together with rural communities and their resources will be mobilised and complemented by appropriate social and physical infrastructure, to create more balanced development across the country.

The Strategy includes:

• A pioneering and comprehensive analysis of how Ireland has been developing particularly in the last 20 years. This is based on an extensive research and public consultation process carried out as part of the process of preparing the NSS.
• A spatial policy framework that will support balanced development. In this regard, the international evidence is that to achieve balanced development, strategic places must have the appropriate population size and mix of development “triggers” - scale and critical mass - to drive development. In addition, these strategic places must have strong links with wider areas. The growth and development of the potential of these areas will complement and benefit from the strengths of places with critical mass.
• Policy measures through which the potential for more balanced development across Ireland will be achieved. These measures outline the types of roles that various places will play in achieving balanced development
• An integrated network of gateways, hubs, other towns, villages and rural areas that will complement and draw strength from each other in the drive towards balanced development on the basis of each of these elements growing to their potential.