Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank our contributors. I also thank members of the committee for allowing me to ask questions. Their hospitality is most welcome.

I am somewhat familiar with this situation, having been a member of Westmeath County Council for a term. I recall looking at some of the files pertaining to this, under the watchful eyes of one of the executives of Westmeath County Council. The sheer quantity of paperwork and records on file then was mind-boggling. I have a couple of observations. I am beyond concerned that we have this scale of development on State-owned land and it has been going on now for almost ten years. Mr. Barrett is correct that there needs to be development along our lakeshores but it needs to be appropriate and compliant with the regulations we have in place. The economic benefit for the area will be phenomenal if it is done properly through tourism and an increase in appropriate lakeshore activities. That said, not just in my constituency of Longford-Westmeath and certainly not just in this case, we are seeing an almost creeping of development along lakeshores. This has the potential for a scale of negative impact that we simply will not come back from on the ecology of the lakes and the reduction of access to the lakes for the general public.

What strikes me very strongly is how our State bodies do not interact with each other and do not work in a collaborative way. This is a failure and in my opinion it is one that cannot be allowed to continue. With due respect, I suggest the committee takes on board Mr. O'Sullivan's suggestion to bring before it the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Westmeath County Council, Waterways Ireland and the Department. What we have today is the potential to form the important recommendations needed to change the legislation. The legislation needs to change. A number of months ago, I asked a parliamentary question on whether the seven-year rule is paused when a local authority issues an enforcement notice regarding an unauthorised development. In its opening sentence the reply from the Minister stated enforcement of unauthorised development is a matter for the relevant planning authority, which can take action if a development does not have the required permission. Nothing in the reply tells me there is a requirement on the local authority to take the appropriate action, only that it can do so, as if it were an option to do so. I do not believe there is an option. In Mr. O'Sullivan's professional experience, and he has given us quite a track record of his professional experience, how many of these developments does he believe are in existence? How prevalent is the sidestepping of regulations when it comes to lakeshore or waterfront development?