Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I think there was a legitimate expectation that the SHDs would be wound up in October just past, so people were on notice about that. The point has been well made that if this legislation goes through, there will be a new system for people to be able to go into for large-scale planning applications, so it is not that there is not somewhere for new entrants to go and it is not as if they are being blocked or anything like that. I think there are ample cases and ample evidence of not necessarily all applicants but some applicants availing of SHDs as a form of speculative planning application to result in increased land values and not in actually delivering homes that are needed. That is what has gone on, albeit not in every case, so the sooner that is ended the better - certainly the better for housing delivery, good planning and people who are actually interested in providing homes. The people who will lose out on this, however, are those looking for the speculative permissions, which some of them have got. I have no doubt in my mind but that some of the decisions that have been made which effectively increase land prices and, arguably, because of the heights and densities, make development less viable and less likely to happen in the coming years, are actually blocking housing delivery. Some of those decisions have been made as a result of this system and would not have been made if the original decision was with local authorities.