Sinn Féin spokesperson on Rural Affairs, Community Development and the Gaeltacht, Conor D. McGuinness TD, has sharply criticised the Government’s revised National Planning Framework, accusing it of abandoning communities and offering nothing meaningful to tackle poverty, social exclusion or the ongoing crisis in local development.
Deputy McGuinness said the plan was “devoid of vision” and failed to provide even the basic architecture to support and sustain communities that are being hollowed out by years of underinvestment.
“This plan is silent on the very concept of community development. There is no vision, no urgency, no new thinking. Just more vague promises from a government that has repeatedly failed to invest in the services, supports and social infrastructure communities need.”
He said the impact of this failure could be seen in every corner of the State.
“In our urban communities, there are estates still waiting for playgrounds, youth services or local health supports. In rural areas, it’s small towns left without basic services – no GPs, no childcare, no public transport. There is a clear thread running through all of this – communities have been written off by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments. This framework continues that trend.”
Deputy McGuinness said that the Government’s plan lacks any binding targets, dedicated funding streams or clear policy levers to drive community regeneration and local empowerment.
“We needed to see a planning framework that would finally take community development seriously – that would ringfence funding for the SICAP and LEADER programmes, for youth work, for local regeneration, for community infrastructure. What we got instead is a document that speaks in generalities, while communities continue to be excluded from the benefits of economic growth.”
He added that the consequences of this neglect are already visible and worsening.
“A generation is locked out of housing. Whole communities are locked out of opportunity. We see it in the closure of post offices, the loss of youth centres, and the waiting lists for mental health supports. This hasn’t happened by accident. It’s the result of political choices – choices made by this Government and the ones that came before it.”
He concluded by saying that planning policy must be about more than land use – it must be about equity, inclusion and participation.
“A real planning framework would ask how the people who live in a community can be supported to shape and sustain it. It would invest in public services. It would protect social infrastructure. And it would recognise that community development is not a luxury – it’s the foundation for a fair and thriving society. This framework does none of that.”
Conor D. McGuinness TD 