Comment:The new National Development Plan (NDP) is due to be published next week. It will be instrumental in shaping Ireland, not just over the next seven-year period that it specifically covers but for future generations.

If we want a more balanced spread of economic and social development throughout the country, now is the time to plan and invest for it.

In the last intercensal period (2002-06), population growth of the greater Dublin area - covering Dublin, Meath, Kildare and Wicklow - was higher than the national average and now stands at 1.6 million or 40 per cent of our total population.

This degree of concentration is unusual compared to most European countries. For example, the population of greater London accounts for about 12 per cent of the British population, while greater Paris accounts for about 10 per cent of the population of France.

The real impact of this growth on people's lives is often discussed in the media, for example when a relatively minor traffic incident or bad weather results in gridlock on the M50 badly affecting people's lives and the economy's productivity.

Ireland definitely needs a strong capital city that can compete as a major European centre.

Recent growth patterns, however, threaten the long-term sustainability of our capital city. I believe that the best solution for Dublin, and Ireland as a whole, is to ensure the other regions are facilitated to grow.

This will not only benefit the regions but will contribute to national economic growth and help ease some of the pressures experienced by the greater Dublin area.

Indeed, this is the basis of Ireland's National Spatial Strategy which identified growth centres throughout the State.

Ireland is clearly a very different place to a decade ago and it is undeniable that this economic prosperity has benefited all regions, but there has been considerable variation in the extent and impact of this growth.

For example, using the basic statistic employed by the EU to measure regional performance - gross value added per capita - the gap between the Border, midlands and west region and the south and east region increased in every year between 1998 and 2002. While the gap did decrease slightly in 2003 (the latest figures available), there remains a greater disparity between the regions in 2003 than at the start of the Celtic Tiger period.

More recent figures for the "at risk of poverty" rate also show that the gap between the two regions has increased.

In 2004, the difference in the rate was nine percentage points but this rose to 11 percentage points in 2005.

Unemployment rates in the Border, midlands and west region continue to be higher than those in the south and east.

Regardless of which indicators are selected, it is clear that there are significant economic differences between the west and north of the State, and the south and east.

There is much that can be done to facilitate the regions to achieve their full potential and contribute more to national prosperity. Now is the time.

There was net migration of 39,000 people into to the seven western counties over the past four years, showing that people are willing to move to the area. Various factors, including increased appreciation of "quality of life" as well as the Western Development Commission's Lookwest.ie campaign, have increased the interest and enthusiasm for this part of the country.

The challenge now is to harness that enthusiasm and convert it into positive benefits for the region.

This is critical if the west and north of the State are to participate in Ireland's move to a knowledge-based economy. This area is predominantly rural with a lower proportion of people employed as knowledge workers (managerial, technical and professional occupations) than the south and east - 33 per cent versus 37 per cent in 2006.

The key factors in moving to a knowledge-based economy are a highly skilled labour force, third-level educational institutions, infrastructure, local amenities and size. Clearly most of these factors can be directly promoted through the NDP 2007-2013.

In terms of education and research, and in the absence of a university in the northern half of the State, enhancing the capacity of the institutes of technology (ITs) in this region must be a major focus of the NDP. This includes providing an appropriately skilled workforce, both through graduates and lifelong learning opportunities for current workers.

The research capacity and linkages with enterprise of the institutes must also be strengthened through the NDP.

Infrastructure will clearly be a major component of the next NDP. The urgent infrastructural needs of the east coast clearly need to be addressed. However, if these become the exclusive focus of infrastructural investment, the current spatial pattern of growth will simply be reinforced and the underlying problems will not be addressed.

Good quality transport access via road, rail and air is an important factor in the region's competitiveness.

While Transport 21 does contain a number of welcome initiatives, the timing of some of the projects within this region considerably lag behind those being undertaken in the south and east.

The NDP is the opportunity to accelerate investments in the regions.

Broadband telecommunications is central to participation in the knowledge-based economy. Recent announcements of an investment plan for the extension of broadband to rural areas is welcome and we hope this will be incorporated within the National Development Plan.

Gillian Buckley is chief executive of the Western Development Commission