Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand what Ms Jones is saying, given that residents’ associations can be quite diverse and can come from various areas, whether rural or urban. In my experience of residents’ associations and judging by the contributions at Tuesday's meeting, they bring great value. Especially when it comes to planning in a local community, it is good to have people with local knowledge. There are concerns that the Bill, as drafted, will lead to people having less of an opportunity to make objections to planning. These community associations will have to have been in place for more than a year and their members will have to be named. That seems to be very formal. It nearly seems as though it will work to prevent community associations or groups from putting in objections.