Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 1 June 2021

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Land Development Agency Bill 2021: Committee Stage (Resumed)

Photo of Darragh O'BrienDarragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I will address amendments Nos. 14, 32, 50, 76 and 78 which have been jointly tabled by Deputy Boyd Barrett and his colleagues. Amendment No. 14 seeks to amend section 2(e) of the Bill, which provides for the development and regeneration of all relevant public land for housing, to include a reference to "relevant private" land. Amendment No. 32 seeks to amend section 2(k) of the Bill, which provides for the same thing, consolidation and provision, to include a reference to privately owned land. Amendment No. 50, as the Deputy has explained, also seeks to give the agency some control over the use of private land. I am not accepting these amendments as the purpose of the Bill is to establish the LDA and to make appropriate arrangements for the utilisation of relevant public lands for housing.

We want to make sure that happens. As Deputy Boyd Barrett is aware, the State is the biggest hoarder of land and we need to make sure it uses its land productively for the good of citizens and society. The Bill is not legislating for privately owned land. There is already a vacant site levy in place, which I do have an issue with, by the way, and which is there to activate private and public lands. I am considering and will consider further measures, as appropriate, for private land activation. I intend to do that because I do not think the vacant site levy operates as it should. I do not believe it is otherwise appropriate to include such references in this legislation.

We need to get the agency up and running to develop the lands it has already, that is, the nine sites, and to get on with them. It will have the ability under compulsory purchase order, CPO, powers to acquire other lands, and ransom strips in particular. Section 2(p) of the Bill already provides for the establishment of appropriate mechanisms and structures for the development of public and privately owned lands for housing. This will generally operate by consent. I foresee that happening where the LDA will be partnering with others regarding adjacent private lands. I have included now appropriate CPO powers to acquire certain private lands where necessary, powers which it did not have in the first draft heads of Bill that we went through in the previous Oireachtas. I thank Deputy Boyd Barrett for tabling the amendment but I will not be accepting it.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.