Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

May I clarify for the record, there are two different legal processes in terms of planning and the Deputy has merged them into the one sentence. People may think they are the same process: rezoning is a function of a development plan process, material contravention of a development plan is a different issue. What can happen is that if the zoning on the site is not appropriate to the planning application being considered, the application can go in as a planning application and the local authority, with the consent of the planners and the elected members can agree to grant a material contravention for that site for that specific purpose. It is a separate process from opening up the rezoning in a development plan. A material contravention is normally how these things tend to happen.