Action urged on Dublin projects

Business lobby Ibec has called for "leadership and the will to progress major infrastructure projects" if Dublin is to continue to be considered a major European business capital.

In a report to be published today, Ibec identifies the metro service, the second terminal at Dublin airport, continued investments in the road network and the building of an eastern bypass as crucial projects for the capital.

"A fair amount has been achieved but the challenges facing the city are substantial," said Matt Moran, Ibec director for the greater Dublin region. "These projects are so large the need to start on them is urgent."

The report, entitled Ibec's Vision for Dublin: A Better Place to Work and Live, says: "There is a total lack of joined-up thinking when it comes to identifying and implementing a coherent and strategic and practical response to many of these challenges."

As a result, Ibec is calling on the Dublin Transport Authority to be given overall responsibility for transport issues in the region. It also says that the provisions of the Critical Infrastructure Act should be fully used in order to avoid planning bottlenecks.

The employers' group is concerned that integrated ticketing for public transport, promised in 1999, has still not been delivered.

The report also notes that most of Dublin's population growth is taking place in the urban hinterlands, which is placing additional additional pressure on infrastructure because it results in longer-distance commuting.

Ibec wants changes to the way local government is funded. Citing a 2000 report that found 34 per cent of properties in Dublin city centre were not liable for local authority rates, it has called for rates to be expanded to Government property.

Given the timeframe involved in conference planning, Ibec is calling for the opening date of the national convention centre to be made public as soon as possible.

Mr Moran said the recommendations in the report were essential because with Ireland now a high-cost location to do business, it needed to become a "high-knowledge" economy.