Census Figures Show Future of Small Villages Remains at Risk
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Better planning policies must be put in place to protect many Irish villages which are under threat either from depopulation or over-growth, according to the Irish Planning Institute (IPI).
The latest Census figures released by the CSO reveal that for 61 towns and villages the population declined by more than 10 per cent between 2002 and 2006 even though the country as a whole noted the fastest population growth in recent history.
Mr Henk van der Kamp, President of the IPI, said: “Many of these towns are small. Of the 61 settlements, 52 are less than 500 population. This confirms a pattern of loss of population that was already occurring between 1996 and 2002 when a population loss of more than 10 per cent occurred for 57 towns and villages.
“Surprisingly, only five of the towns experiencing significant population loss were the same between the two periods, suggesting that towns where previously population loss took place have recovered somewhat.
“Ironically, the census figures reveal that there is also a problem of excessive growth of small settlements. In the case of 14 settlements with less than 500 population, the population size more than doubled between 2002 and 2006.
“It seems, therefore, that small settlements are either losing population to such an extent that their future is at risk or are overwhelmed by population growth resulting in the risk of becoming commuter towns.
“Either scenario is undesirable and better planning policies must be put in place to avoid these problems and to ensure balanced development of settlements in both rural and urban areas.”