Invitation to Consultation

WHAT ARE THE STRATEGIC ISSUES?

The Regional Strategic Framework process will be wide ranging in its analysis. It will take into account a wide range of social, economic, environmental and physical development issues relevant to the future of Northern Ireland over the next 25 years. These are matters which affect our everyday lives; where we live, work, learn and play. It will deal with how we travel and the way we treat our environment.

Government wishes to engage the community in a debate on the many issues involved. In making decisions to guide the development of the Region we will be faced with difficult choices. Your views are important. To open the debate the Department has sought to identify what it sees as some of the main issues in such areas as governance, society, the environment and the economy.

Where will we live?

The population of the Region has been growing rapidly over the past decade. With a youthful population this growth can be expected to continue. At the same time changes in society towards smaller households add to the continuing need for new homes.

The region has a rich variety of towns and villages, each with its own distinctive character and identity. The scale of new development needs to respect our urban and rural heritage. Some settlements have more capacity than others to accommodate future development.

• Where should the estimated 200,000 new homes needed in the next 25 years be built? What additional demand will this place on social and physical infrastructure? What are the implications for relationships within the community of these housing needs?
• How can new homes be accommodated in a sustainable way which involves the wise use of natural resources and considers the capacity of the environment to absorb various forms of human development?

Where will we work?

Increasingly our Region depends on and is linked to the world around us. Our livelihood is linked with the rest of Ireland, Great Britain, Europe and further afield. Within the Atlantic arc of Europe there are challenges and opportunities as we seek not only to compete but also to co-operate with other regions. The local economy has been catching up with the rest of Europe in recent years but still lags behind.

• Where are the jobs needed for the next generation to be created?
• How best can we reconcile the need to attract investment and extend job opportunities for all the community with the sensitive management of the environment and the conservation of environmental assets?

What will be our quality of life?

We have been endowed with a Region with many natural and human assets. Our environment including its clean and green image, its landscapes and its cultural heritage is appreciated by visitors and valued by residents. We have an obligation not only to the next generation but as citizens of a wider world to ensure we do not damage it.

• How can we best strengthen the tourism industry?
• How can we provide for the quality of life to which we generally aspire without detracting from our water resources, air quality, and other features of the world around us?
• How can we protect and enhance the places that we as a society value, and which enrich our lives?
• Can we produce a physical and social environment in town and country which enriches health and the quality of everyday life?
• How can we enhance the cultural and civic life of the region for the benefit of the whole community?

How will we communicate?

Changes in transport and technology are opening up new opportunities, and have immense potential for affecting how we live our lives. Yet many of these opportunities can create their own problems, well illustrated by the way the private car has opened up freedom of movement for most of us, yet it is increasingly threatening the quality of all our lives with its pollution, congestion and domination of day to day life.

• How can we make less use of the private car and more use of environmentally friendly means of travel?
• What should be the priorities in investing in physical infrastructure - road, rail, sea and air transport, telecommunications and energy supplies?
• What emphasis should be placed on linking into the development of trans-European networks in transport, telecommunications and energy?
• Can we exploit the benefits of trans-regional and trans-national co-operation based on the Region's designation within the Atlantic Arc of European Countries and still retain our unique sense of place?
• How can we best co-ordinate transportation and land use planning?
• What priority should be given to increasing the use and efficiency of public transport?
• What will be the impact on work and travel patterns of the continuing changes in technology, for example, computerisation?

How can we support community life?

The decline of agriculture and traditional industries has weakened the social and economic basis of many communities in town and country. Government recognises the need to support a sense of community in town and country. Regeneration partnerships between Government and the community have achieved much over recent years. The Regional Strategic Framework will have to consider what further measures are needed to support and regenerate our fragile rural and urban communities.

• What are the challenges facing the rural communities given the pressures facing the agricultural industry?
• How best can we strengthen rural communities and avoid the drift of young people to towns and cities?
• What model of sustainable rural development (for example rural schools, services, farm diversification, countryside management,) should feature in the Regional Strategy?
• What roles can be found for the many small towns scattered throughout Northern Ireland?
• How can inner urban areas be revitalised?
• How can we revitalise fragile communities in town and country often affected by both deprivation and division, and help to deal with poverty, inequality and the isolation of the elderly in our society?
• How can we support communities within towns, particularly those without the use of a car, relative to the continuing pressure for out of town shopping development?