Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I will need less time because I want to make a couple of comments of my own rather than ask questions. The exchange on the national planning framework allows us to conclude on a really interesting place. While we have dealt with a wide range of issues, the primary function of the committee is housing and planning, with a small amount of urban regeneration built into that. It is to be hoped the recommendations we make to the Department and Minister will focus in the first instance on those, although not exclusively.

Part of the problem with the national planning framework and the fact that between 2018-21 we have not seen compact growth is in part because there is a time lag. For example, we have very large amounts of suburban and commuter belt development in Dublin, which involves planning permissions granted over ten or, in some cases, 15 years ago, well before the national planning framework. We need to start thinking about how we ensure planning or zoning decisions that were taken at an earlier stage are forced to catch up when there are significant changes in policy. Otherwise, there will be significant lags. Given the urgency around our climate targets, we do not have time to lose.

Likewise, we still do not have new rural planning guidelines or residential density guidelines from the Department, both of which have been enormously delayed. That creates huge confusion in local authorities and very mixed practice. The committee calling for those two sets of guidelines to be published as a matter of urgency is crucial.

I refer to the point made by Dr. D'Arcy on studies on suburban development and isolation. One of the small improvements is that where we are building new suburbs, such as Cherrywood, Adamstown and Clonburris, we are trying to make sure we do not make the same mistakes. Densities in Cherrywood, for all its problems, are significantly higher. Much of the infrastructure, including cycling infrastructure, was built before the houses. While there are greenfield developments, they are high density, mixed use and have active transport built in from the start. That is crucial.

Mr. O'Connor referred to affordability. Poolbeg is not a suburb, but it is an attempt to have high-density inner urban transport oriented development in a strategic development zone. There is no affordability in Poolbeg as it currently stands. In fact, there is a very difficult conversation to be had between a variety of Departments, Dublin City Council and the owners of the site. Currently, we are being told that the all-in development cost of a standard two-bedroom unit is €500,000 to €600,000. In an ideal world, we would be doing exactly what the NESC report outlined in 2019. Crucially, affordable homes are absent. Even social homes could be under question because the cost of purchasing Part 5 units could be above the Department's ceiling. Whether it is Poolbeg or the City Edge scheme, which is in the middle of the city rather than at the edge, taking into account those of us who live along the M50, affordability is key.

We are awaiting legislation from the Government on directly elected mayors. Many cities in other jurisdictions people have spoken about as being models of good practice have much stronger, and more democratically accountable and devolved, local and regional government. I am saying these things almost as a checklist because we have to put them into our recommendations. I thank all of the contributors today. I learned tonnes from the presentations. They have been exceptionally useful.