Faith leaders have called on planners to make room for churches, synagogues and mosques in the development of new communities.

Writing in the Irish Times, Imam Shamsudeen MacSeain and Fr Edmond Grace SJ say for anyone who is part of a faith community, congregational worship is “as fundamental to their wellbeing as a school or a hospital”.

However, they note that there is “no reference in the National Planning Framework to providing space for worship, as part of creating spaces that build and sustain communities”.

They add that this will be “a significant need for the various ethnic and religious groups living in Ireland today and in the years ahead”.

“This will call for fundamental change in our attitude to land and its use. After air and water, it is the most valued resource in every society”, they write.