Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

What happens between the time land is zoned and a development is completed is key. If land was zoned and construction on it was immediate, the price inflation that currently occurs would probably not arise. Land is zoned and then flipped so many times that, by the time it is developed, the cost of a single housing unit on it has escalated significantly. The granting of planning permission may increase the value of land, after which it may be flipped. Although I agree that the zoning of land should be examined, we should also consider how zoned land is developed and whether there should be timeframes in that regard or significant penalties for landowners who flip land rather than developing it.

I acknowledge Mr. FitzGerald's comments on development levies. There are many local authorities with different development contribution schemes, all of which are based on different infrastructure in the county development plan of each authority. The current process was put in place in 2004. It identified a significant historical lack of infrastructure which it attempted to compensate for, as well as the infrastructure that would be required in the future. That led to development levies of approximately €25,000 if one was building in Greystones or Wicklow town in County Wicklow because we were trying to deal with historical deficiencies in infrastructure and also plan for the future. Some crazy infrastructural projects that would never happen in our lifetimes were put forward to be delivered under development plans.