New vision needed to build up Irish cities

As we enter 2020, we can give some thanks that a majority of people across the country are enjoying a degree of prosperity.

New vision needed to build up Irish cities

As we enter 2020, we can give some thanks that a majority of people across the country are enjoying a degree of prosperity.

The numbers at work are at record levels. If anything, jobs are proving hard to fill.

The roads are frequently packed, which is a classic indication of an economy working at near capacity, and ‘van man’ is back in force, though perhaps not consuming as many breakfast rolls as previously.

And yet, the proportion of Irish people in employment is less than it was 10 years ago and is also lower than that in some nearby countries, such as Sweden.

We are told that jobs are also much more sustainable. We can only hope that this turns out to be the case.

Certainly, it is gone time to start investing more in affordable childcare facilities.

We also need more flexible work practices, so that people with caring responsibilities are drawn back into the workplace. Employers should be more creative and should trust their employees more.

As things stand, the country is losing out heavily on its investment in education and skills development, as people quit their jobs for lengthy periods, being unwilling or unable to deal with long commutes, expensive creches, and time away from their children.

The long-term absence of people from the paid workplace has also led to a crisis in pension provision.

As the CSO recently revealed, Ireland’s towns are now growing in size. The recovery has spread beyond the large cities, which are choking at the seams.

Of course, there are some large clouds on the horizon and the recovery remains patchy, with the homelessness crisis a real blot on the landscape.

As the population ages, the twin healthcare and social care crises will be another great challenge facing the Government.

Escalating insurance premiums have become a huge political issue and the legal system is coming under close scrutiny over the cost of court awards.

According to Neil Walker, Ibec head of infrastructure, “there is a marked reluctance to underwrite the risk of costly awards and fees.”

It is not enough simply to name and shame a few individuals, as if some Inca blood sacrifice will do the trick.

In the early 2000s, it appeared that the issue had been tackled, with the establishment of PIAB (the Personal Injuries Assessment Board).

Over time, awards have crept up.

As Fota Island Adventure centre’s Derek Binchy puts it: “If we don’t have cover, we don’t operate. If insurance is too high, we don’t operate.”

Elsewhere, warning shots have been sent across the bow of the Government by the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council, or Ifac, and the National Competitiveness Council, in recent weeks.

Ifac chair, Seamus Coffey has repeatedly expressed disappointment at the way in which the “windfall” corporation taxes have been used to fund current expenditure, in particular, to prop up the health spending.

The economy has also benefited from another windfall, as the costs of financing the national debt have shrunk.

The National Competitiveness Council, or NCC, in its end-of-year report, focused, in particular, on legal costs, insurance costs, and the cost of credit.

The housing shortage continues to be a huge drag on national productivity.

The numbers of young homeless are at record levels, while rents are well ahead of Celtic Tiger peak levels across much of the country.

Many will continue to rely on social or affordable housing, but output continues to be held back by a lack of funds and capacity within local government.

One high profile developer, Johnny Ronan — a major player during the last boom — has taken out large adverts in newspapers to promote his vision of high-rise future.

Cork is experiencing an upsurge in the construction of skyscrapers.

But this vision has its critics, not least among architects and housing activists.

Orla Hegarty, a lecturer at the School of Architecture in UCD, argues that high-rise developments are no solution to the housing problems. Ms Hegarty says that a 15-storey building casts a shadow larger than a football pitch for four months of the year.

She has put up photos of particularly dreary examples of recently built skyscraper apartment blocks.

“‘Larger blocks are harder and more expensive to finance and take longer to build.

'Electricity use is nearly two-and-a-half times greater in office buildings over-20 storeys than in those six storeys or lower,” she says.

We need an informed, but time-constrained, debate, followed by rapid action, with funds being diverted from less urgent spending.

Above all, we need a return to a more self-confident and imaginative approach at the heart of government, with the best in the civil service and local government joining forces with academics and business people to create a new master plan for the development of our towns and cities.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

FILE PHOTO The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission has cleared the purchase of Goodbody Stockbrokers by AIB END Goodbody Stockbrokers fined over €1.2m by Central Bank over rules breaches
Nottingham City Centre Stock Irish staff at the Body Shop wait for wages as retailer shuts stores in the Republic
Ryanair comments on Norwegian Ryanair boss O'Leary's spat with Transport Minister over Dublin Airport escalates
IE logo
Devices


UNLIMITED ACCESS TO THE IRISH EXAMINER FOR TEAMS AND ORGANISATIONS
FIND OUT MORE

The Business Hub
Newsletter

News and analysis on business, money and jobs from Munster and beyond by our expert team of business writers.

Sign up
ie logo
Puzzles Logo

Play digital puzzles like crosswords, sudoku and a variety of word games including the popular Word Wheel

Lunchtime News
Newsletter

Keep up with the stories of the day with our lunchtime news wrap.

Sign up
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited