Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Kelly for his opening statement and all our guests for attending. This morning in private session the committee completed the pre-legislative scrutiny report on the large-scale residential developments Bill. That Bill seeks to rebalance what many believe to be an error in the strategic housing development, SHD, legislation, that is, the removal of the community voice and, second, the idea that An Bord Pleanála would be the first decision maker in the process. Given that background and position, I certainly welcome the additional public consultation. It is very important, particularly as it relates to exceptional circumstances. My fear is that as An Bord Pleanála is now the decision maker at first point, two concerns arise. When that happened under SHD legislation, there was not enough consultation or adherence to city development plans. The second concern relates to the cumulative impact of similar developments. Many local authorities are quite good at spotting a trend relating to several applications coming in and the cumulative impact that may have on an area. My fear is that An Bord Pleanála may not have the same local knowledge or the desire to spot and monitor the impact of those cumulative developments. My worry is that in the context of this process, which I accept is much less common, An Bord Pleanála would not have the local focus that local authorities have but it is the first decision maker in the process.