ONE county council has proposed to the Department of the Environment that the word "urban" should be deleted from the phrase "urban renewal" so that even rural areas can be designated for development incentives.
Mr Finian Matthews, principal officer in charge of urban renewal declined to identify the council. It is understood from other sources, however, that the idea came from Leitrim, which has no urban renewal designated areas.
Mr Matthews was addressing a conference in Dublin yesterday on the future of urban renewal. He said the idea of redefining it to include rural areas was among 27 submissions received by the Department since a major review of urban renewal was published last December.
The submissions were also contradictory, with some arguing that designation should cover large areas while others said it should be more site-specific. There was also disagreement with the review's proposal that that designation should only be granted to areas which needed it.
Mr Matthews said there was a consensus on the need for "simple, non-bureaucratic" strategic plans which would cover social and economic regeneration as well as physical renewal, and a "strong view" that the refurbishment of historic buildings should be given more priority.
Mr John O'Donnell, Cork Corporation's chief planning officer, said urban renewal needed to be about more than "cranes in the sky". If there was to be integrated planning, it would have to respond to the needs of local communities and not to mere fashion.