Ireland 2040 – Our Plan

This morning I met with stakeholders and students at University College Cork & UCC Students’ Union to talk about the new National Planning Framework, Ireland 2040 – Our Plan, as part of the UCC Planning Conference.

While we face many challenges presently, we know we need to think ahead for a radically different Ireland of 2040 including;

• A national population increase of around 1 million people;
• More than one-fifth of Ireland’s total population being over 65;
• More than 500,000 additional people at work;
• 500,000 homes needing locations much closer to services and amenities; and
• rebuilding community and commercial life in the hearts of our cities and towns and protecting the many qualities of our rural communities