recognized that separate measures are required to support low-income households, particularly those at most risk of energy poverty. The European Green Deal sets out the EU’s climate and environmental goals to reach climate neutrality by 2050 and at the same time to ensure the transition is just and inclusive – leaving no one behind – and to address the risk of energy poverty to ensure a basic standard of living for all citizens. The extent of energy poverty in Ireland is significant irrespective of the indicators used for the assessment. The ESRI “Energy Poverty and Deprivation in Ireland” report June 2022 evidenced that energy poverty (based on households spending more than 10% of disposal income on energy) in Ireland has increased from 13.2% in 2015/2016 to 29.4% as at April 2022. The Commission for Regulation of Utilities Arrears and Non-Payment of Account (NPA) Disconnections February 2021 Update showed that 240,000 electricity customers i.e., 11% of households and 112.833 gas customers i.e., 16% of householders were in arrears in February 2021 in Ireland. The CSO Statistics show that prior to the significant increase in energy prices as a result of the war in Ukraine, 10% of households in the Southern Region and 5.2% of households in the Eastern & Midlands Region went without heating at some stage in 2021. SEAI’s domestic fuel comparison of energy costs reported that on average the cost of coal increased by 37%, oil by 78%, gas by 33% and electricity by 15% from April 2021 to April 2022. The ESRI advise that the increasing energy cost trend is likely to continue as wholesale energy prices continue to increase and estimate that if energy prices increase by a further 25% this will increase the number of households in energy poverty to 43% in Ireland. Addressing energy poverty is more important than ever and therefore a key investment need that this Programme seeks to address. The actions will complement the retrofit loan guarantee scheme under the NRRP and actions under both the NRRP and the ESF+ programme will help build capacity within the retrofit sector. For example, the SOLAS Green Skills Action Programme is funded through the NRRP for 2021 and 2022. It is proposed to build on this through ESF+ on its completion, with provision of future green skills modules as a component of vocational training courses delivered through SOLAS and the ETBs to be funded through ESF+ from 2023. Priority 3: SUSTAINABLE AND INTEGRATED URBAN DEVELOPMENT Cities and urban centres are considered both the source of and the solution to many of the key challenges the world is facing today such as environmental issues and climate change, digital revolution, demographic changes, migration and social inequalities. In Europe, urban areas are home to over two-thirds of the EU's population, they account for about 80 % of energy use and generate up to 85 % of Europe's GDP. Urban areas are also the engines of the European economy, hubs of creativity and innovation. They add value and act as centres contributing to the development of their wider regions and rural hinterlands and contribute balanced territorial development of the EU but face significant challenges. Reg (EU) 2021/1058 [‘the ERDF regulation’] provides for an increased focus on sustainable urban development through the support of integrated strategies to more effectively tackle the economic, environmental, climate, demographic and social challenges affecting urban areas, with a minimum target of 8% of the ERDF resources allocated at national level for that purpose. Project Ireland 2040 is the overarching policy and planning framework for the social, economic and cultural development of Ireland. It includes a detailed capital investment plan for the period 2021 to 2030, the NDP, and the 20-year National Planning Framework (NPF). In line with the NPF and NDP, the RSES and Metropolitan Area Strategic Plans (MASPs) / Strategic Growth Centre Plans set a 12-year statutory strategic planning and economic development framework for future economic, spatial, and social development of the Regions in pursuit of balanced regional development. Each RSES recognises the strategic role played by our urban settlements, building on Cities and Metropolitan Areas, Regional Growth Centres, Key Towns and our urban settlement networks as centres for population and employment growth to drive economic growth in the Regions. Regional Policy Objectives in each RSES support active land management and actions to address sustainable urban development, and the principles of ‘Compact Growth’.
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