SIX KEY AREAS
IN the region of 20,000 school places will be created over the duration of the National Development Plan.
Sources say at least 23 counties will benefit, but a significant number of the individual schools to get funding were already announced as far back as 2014.
It is understood the plan does not name further school developments – but these will be identified by the Department of Education over the lifetime of the plan.
The country’s seven universities will share a fund worth more than €2bn.
There will also be a substantial upgrade of ITs as they move towards becoming technological universities. ROADS, trains and planes all feature in the plan, with the M20 motorway and Atlantic Corridor linking Donegal to Sligo and Tuam among the priority projects.
Investment in regional and local roads will rise substantially over the next decade, with a spend totalling €4.5bn.
Dublin Bus will get money for new routes while the longdelayed Metro North will finally ensure a direct rail service from the city centre to the airport.
While works are unlikely to begin within the 10-year timeframe, advanced planning will take place for Luas extensions to Bray, Finglas, Lucan and Poolbeg.
Cork is to get its own light rail system, while Dublin Airport will get a second runway. THE big ticket item in housing is the establishment of a National Regeneration and Development Agency to drive building.
Sources say it will be a Nama-style agency with a focus on freeing up brownfield sites for new developments.
It will primarily target State-owned lands but will also get powers to buy up private lands via compulsory purchase order if it is in the national interest.
Overall the aim is to build an extra 500,000 homes by 2040, with 40pc on brownfield sites.
Some 12,000 social houses will be built annually during the 10 years.
Changes to the rules governing one-off houses in the countryside will make it harder to get planning permission.