Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 20 January 2022

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Land Development Agency: Chairman Designate

Photo of Rebecca MoynihanRebecca Moynihan (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I am going to stay on that theme a little longer by following up on Deputy O’Callaghan’s questions. I also had a concern about what Mr. O’Rourke said in his initial opening statement, that he is engaged with cost rental and affordable purchase and the social aspect is essentially being left to the local authorities. First, the minimum requirement for Part V for local authorities was broader when it came to social provision on private sites. As a State company, which the LDA is, capitalised by the State where the intention is to bring State lands together for the provision of housing, I do not believe it should be looking at the bare minimum when looking at Part V. I am quite concerned about the statements Mr O’Rourke has made in response to Deputy O’Callaghan’s question.

To clarify, Housing for All has affordable purchase and cost rental only. For 2022, this year, it is 4,100 houses, for 2023 it is 5,500, and for 2024 it is 6,400. That is in addition to the social provision of 9,000, 9,100 and 9,300 over the next ten years. The ten sites that the LDA has pulled together equate to 5,500. It seems to me from the very outset there is mismatch between the Government targets included in Housing for All and the mechanisms it is giving to be able to deliver those. Will the LDA confirm that 4,100 of the cost rental and affordable purchase provision will be delivered or even in train this year? If not, where is the other side of that figure to be made up or does the LDA have any indications of that?

I have another question on the land bank database. Of the ten sites listed here, Deputy O’Donoghue makes a very good point that they are all in high-density urban areas. The LDA has created this State land bank. What is going to happen with that database? Is it anticipated that other lands will be added to those ten sites or are discussions ongoing around that?

I will finish on a slightly off-piste point but it is in response to the talk here of the LDA creating sustainable 15-minute cities. While sustainable development has to be at the very heart of what we do, I have a small concern in the talk about the 15-minute city. There are a couple of urban economists, such as Ed Glaeser, who have criticised that concept because it can actually lead to segregation. I ask that the LDA bear that in mind. Creating sustainable communities with housing and infrastructure is very important but it is also important, in particular in cities, that people are not put into silos.

As a follow-up to that, what plans does the LDA have for accompanying infrastructure on the sites it is developing? I will give a particular example of that. Donore Avenue is one of the big sites that the LDA has. A presentation was made to the area yesterday and there is going to be a public meeting on it tomorrow. A couple of things need to be delivered for Donore Avenue. One is going to be a pitch for the local community and there are other things like crèches. The history of these sites and large-scale developments is that often the housing is built, and then whoever develops the housing just walks away. That supporting infrastructure is not there or put in place. I understand the LDA is involved in pulling the land together and is doing the land management aspect of it, but how can we be guaranteed from a local community perspective, when engaging with players such as the LDA and local authorities, that the supporting infrastructure will be put in place? I sometimes feel these promises are made and then the players involved walk away and there is no follow-up to create real sustainable communities in areas of disadvantage.

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