Chamber argues for one Greater Dublin authority

A Greater Dublin Area Authority should be set up to oversee the provision of major road, water and waste management services, Dublin City Council was told last night.

The present system of regulation by Government and county councils is not suitable to manage an area that encompasses Dublin's city council, its four county councils and local authorities in Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, according to a statement from Dublin Chamber of Commerce.

Beyond Boundaries - A Proposal to Manage the Greater Dublin Area was presented to the councillors at a meeting in the Mansion House.

The report singles out the strategic planning guidelines as a typical example of regional policy which should be implemented by a pan-authority body.

Since the strategic planning guidelines were published in 1999, and updated this year, some local authorities have ignored repeated calls from the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, to bring their development plans into line with the guidelines.

The report says that the existing management structure in Dublin has no formal institutional ability to deal with issues which span the borders of neighbouring authorities.

It notes that a system exists where authority managements meet merely to discuss and, where appropriate, to co-ordinate projects and services.

"Dublin is poised to become one of Europe's leading centres of business. If it is to grow to its next stage, a clearly defined development strategy for the city and its surrounding areas is needed which can only be met by the establishment of an overall body such as the GDAA," said Mr David Manley, chamber president. There was no guarantee of a unified approach.

The chamber says there are many good examples of centralised city management in the UK and other European states.

It notes: "The new Mayor of London has as one of his top priorities the promotion of investment in London, and that new structures, such as the Greater London Authority, are being established to facilitate that role."