Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I will take the second slot for the Green Party. I want to talk about plans and follow on from what Senator Boyhan said. One of the points that came up in our engagement with the Department was that we want to get much more public involvement and engagement in the making of a local area plan, county plan, priority area plan or whatever it might be, so that conflict does not arise when the site notice goes up or the planning application goes in. People have a fair idea of what to expect for their area. I know the section 28 guidelines disrupt that a little. What do the witnesses see in this first draft that would make the public engagement more engaging? People do engage with the planning process when the application goes in. When it is directly in their face, behind their house or down the road, people start talking about it but there is not the same engagement when the local authority says it is making a blueprint for the area for the next five to ten years. What in the plan is better in that regard and what could improve that?