Re: Re: NSS & Decentralisation

@Barry Hall wrote:

I think there should be only 5 main ‘gateway’ cities in Ireland i.e. one in each region. Dublin,(Midlands) Galway (North West) Limerick (West) Cork (South West) & Waterford (South East) Each should have an Airport motorway connection and good quality rail links to each other and Dublin providing a polycentric hub covering the main population centres in the Country. Waterford is the only one of these cities without a university. These five cities need to be devloped and any decentralised governement departments that could be sensibly decentralised should be sent to them. I would suggest that each city should have a Mayor and some devolved government and be geared towards being the economic engines in their regions. Where the city regions cross county boundaries such as Waterford a city authoirty should be devised where both counties are represented. Waterford at the moment is hemmed in to its north by County Kilkenny which has no interest in develping Ferrybank which is the adjoining the biggest population cetnre in the South East. Instead its resources are directed towards Kilkenny which is really only a town. Waterford port is located in Co. Kilkenny and the Regional Airport is in County Waterford – WIT is seeking University status so there is already in place some of the main planks in establishing a vibrant city There is a perception that Kilkenny is curtailing the expansion of this city region because of its pre-occupation with its own identity particulary as a huriling county. It would be in its best interests to see Watrford / Ferrybank city expand to 100,000 to 150,000 population and leave Kilkenny to serve as County town like Dungarvan does in County Waterford.

I 100% agree that the governemt decentralisation plans were an election gimick and they make no sense from a planning point of view.

Someone in power must have read this post – big plans announced by South Kilkenny Council to upgrade Ferrybank to a City.