Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I did not refer to amendment No. 118. It was not clear that this was being taken here, but the Minister of State has responded to it. My intention with the amendment was around the provisions of Section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 which covers the taking in charge of housing estates. It says that where the local authority has not taken an estate in charge seven years after the planning permission has expired, the residents of the housing estate can petition to have the estate taken in charge. That is a five year planning permission and a seven year duration after. That is 12 years. With the proposed extension of duration another seven years is added to that 12 years and the possibility of a further extension in certain circumstances. The problem is that I can point the Minister of State to a small number of locations where people are living on a permanent building site. The purpose of my amendment is to provide for a requirement for the developer to at least phase the development and have it taken in charge. I know a place where the development is 15 years old and it does not even have street lights. That is totally unfair. It is an effort to look at it from the point of view of the people who are living in this area and existing on the site. It is the developer's site and it is far too long to permit a situation where the people cannot even petition to have the estate taken in charge.