Current Government policy on regional development will lead to wasted investment and a return to emigration, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce warned tonight.
Chamber president Ronan King said the National Spatial Strategy will lead to "100 local kingdoms" and the Greater Dublin Area will be starved of resources.
The 2002-2020 blueprint designated four new gateway areas around the towns of Dundalk, Sligo, Letterkenny/Derry and Athlone/Tullamore/Mullingar. Mr King said that research carried out by the Dublin Institute of Technology showed that regional development focused around these gateways will lead to significant wasted investment.
Speaking at a seminar to mark the first anniversary of the launch of the National Development Plan, Mr King added: "All development plans should be immediately amended so that population growth and changing demographic patterns along the east coast can be accommodated in an informed, rational fashion."
The Government believes the National Spatial Strategy will lead to a better balance of social, economic and physical development across Ireland. The framework also aims to develop cities, towns and villages to create better investment and better quality of life.
But Mr King warned: "Put simply, the needs of the Greater Dublin Area must be placed at the top of the Government's investment programme if we are to avoid a national return to peripherality, emigration and economic decline".
Mr King called on the Government to radically change its mindset despite the lobbying of local politicians. "We can no longer afford 100 local kingdoms," he said.
The businessman was speaking at today's 'Imagine Dublin 2020' seminar in Dublin's Digital Hub. He added: "Dublin is the only true city on the island capable of competing globally. It is the engine for national growth, and if Dublin stalls, everyone loses".
PA