Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy's point about phase 2 is fair, I think. That is being examined by the two Departments at the moment. The issue has been raised. There is a desire to have more compact growth in towns and cities, which makes sustainable sense in terms of climate, congestion and access to services. That is a broader planning objective people have subscribed to. There are some towns, though, where there has been questionable dezoning of land that no one has sought. Given the housing crisis we are in, we should be looking for the opportunities to get houses built. All of this is about the housing crisis in the first instance, to get more supply and to get more houses built. Ultimately, that is the way we sort the housing crisis.

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