Mr. Niall Cussen:

I might bring in my colleague, Ms O'Connor, to answer some of the specifics on this matter if there is time. I thank the Senator for his comments about the leaflets. We are delighted with that feedback. A theme running through the conversation this morning has been that planning is, ultimately, about choices. One of the choices that has clearly been teed up in the national planing framework is that planning authorities structure their development plans so that it is advantaging urban regeneration. There is a target in the national planning framework to secure 40% of residential delivery in our key urban centres from brownfield development. The question I would put back to the Senator is if we zone all the land for residential delivery, assuming that it can all take place in greenfield locations, when or how will brownfield regeneration ever happen?

The cards are stacked against regeneration if large tracts of land are being zoned and there is a much more straightforward and simpler solution. How will it be possible to regenerate the north quays of Waterford or some of the central urban areas if there is not a measured approach to ensuring greenfield and brownfield endeavours and that they are working in tandem?

This is critically important from the perspective of infrastructure requirements as well. I refer to where we have infrastructure in place, as we do in the case of the north quays in Waterford, in respect of rail access, water services and the ability to walk to the fantastic centre of the city. Yet, we are then going to zone the land for whatever we would like to take place on the north quays and also in the wider greenfield context, while providing the same infrastructure. We are encountering a double cost by increasing infrastructure and not getting regeneration. The development plan, therefore, is the forum to tease out these issues. Much of this activity comes down to phasing and how the development is structured. Ms O'Connor might want to comment.