Dr. Kieran Feighan:

We fully support the Deputy in respect of master planning. The LDA's terms of reference should refer to relevant public lands and define them as built-up areas of any census town with a population of 10,000 or more. While the LDA will be active, not least in the larger urban areas, it is clear a role will remain for the local authorities in the planning of towns and villages. We fully agree with the Deputy on the need to look ahead and, critically, to ensure the timely provision of all the necessary infrastructure to assist in the development of towns and villages, which is cost effective. Our greatest problem is trying to retrofit, that is, to install infrastructure, water and sanitary services, or transport links in areas that have developed out of step with the character of the towns or villages. We have to be on top of the matter.

The second point we support, which was raised earlier by our professional colleagues, relates to the potential role of the LDA in respect of the compilation of strategic land banks. While in the short term there is an immediate housing crisis we must address, as we heard from Senator Kelleher and others, the ability to accumulate strategic land banks and return them to the market when development is required and the private sector is not in a position to provide it will, over time, be an important strategic role the LDA can perform.