Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I would like to make a few comments before I allow Deputy Doherty to speak again. It is logical that a significant step will have to take place in this context after Limerick city and county councils are merged. Limerick is probably the best or worst example in this country of what the Minister has described as the doughnut development of a city. As a result of the development of a number of hypermarkets in exact proximity to the city council area, there has been a significant downturn in retail operations in the city itself. It is clear from the reports of Retail Excellence Ireland, which is engaged in a major programme to develop town and city centres throughout the country, that Limerick is the worst performer in the country in terms of the decay of the retail sector in the city centre. The advantage of the approach that is being proposed is that it will have an employment kick because the proportion of employment is far higher in stand-alone retail traders on the high street than in massive hypermarkets.

I think the Minister has clarified some of the matters that have arisen with regard to this proposal. He spoke about Georgian characteristics in his presentation.

Georgian characteristics are not just the windows and the frontage but the interior of the house, and many may have very elaborate staircasing that would be expensive to repair. I remember some years ago, in Grattan Street in Cork some 16th century or 17th century houses were repaired. The cheapest option would have been to knock them and build houses that looked like them, but heritage requirements had been placed upon them and they cost an arm and a leg to refurbish. Will the Minister explain whether it is refurbishment or redesign of these buildings that is considered in terms of taxation? Will a heritage inspection be carried out to ensure that window replacements in these buildings are not PVC replacements and that they adhere to a Georgian design? Likewise will the plasterwork inside these houses, if it still exists, be inspected? Will an inspection be carried out at the beginning to assess the Georgian value to ensure that none of the original material is lost and that it is part of the refurbishment? This means the houses cannot be reconstructed in a fashion similar to a New York penthouse. That is not the design one should set out. Even if the houses are subdivided there should be some retention of the Georgian characteristics. This is a positive concept. If there is a city in the country that can do this, it is Limerick. Is there a danger in providing tax incentives for the refurbishment of these Georgian houses that instead of refurbishing them, they are being redesigned?