Mr. Patrick King:

The main point that has arisen during the meeting is that the future objectives for the LDA will be crystal clear. Senator Kelleher stated we should not lose the run of ourselves. We need to ensure we do not try to put everything into the LDA's basket, given there are other areas where supporting legislation is required, whether for development levies or the role of local authorities in master planning. Additional resources are needed in those areas. The LDA will not be successful if all the other partners in the process are not sufficiently resourced. We should not put our the eggs into that one basket and hope the LDA will somehow miraculously solve the problem with a handful of people, which will not be possible. Perhaps that should be reflected in the legislation.

The master plan, as an approach, may be better than the idea of describing it as a development plan. Similar to the case of Dublin Port, different scenarios could play out over different stretches of time. One cannot say a certain number of people will live in an area, given that people will not be mandated to move there, but there can be appropriate planning for various scenarios that may play out in different local areas, which the local authorities can do. The LDA can then play a component part in developing the lands under its control to build a community and housing within an area, regenerating it in a way that would not have been possible if done by the local authority. Each group must play its part. The master plan will fit into the role of the LDA, which will help to deliver the master plan.