Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I am using this as an example with regard to women in the local community. Their ability to enjoy the amenities that are planned for are not what they should be. It often comes up in the context of feeling safe in public spaces, the lack of public lighting or poor public lighting and maybe no public lighting in some of the amenities. All of these things are part of the planning of new developments. Safety affects everyone but it can affect women more so with regard to how they can enjoy and participate in the public spaces or get to and from home using public transport and so forth. All of this is really important. It is not working as it should be and it should be a key consideration here in the context of issuance of national planning statements. These are the kind of things that should come up.

Cultural spaces and venues are absolutely key. It runs alongside what we were saying about mental health, well-being and human health. The value of cultural, youth and community spaces is just so huge. Again, this is not working as it should be. To give an example, we have good facilities in a lot of these new developments, such as new schools and sports halls. There is the likes of Fingal, where there is a really good model of the council working with the schools to provide larger sports halls and shared community facilities that the communities then use in the evenings, at weekends and during the summer. Apart from that really good model, it is not working as it should be. You have these state-of-the-art facilities with schools but they are not open to the community in the evenings and at weekends. The local authority should be working them, putting in some extra resources, making bigger facilities and making them open to everyone at other times. We should, of course, be delivering affordable childcare along with the schools, and all of these different things. That would all make planned spaces. We should also be integrating cultural spaces, venues and all that cultural life in to communities. Instead, what is happening right now in most places is a much more minimalist approach, where with a better use of resources and better planning we could be doing so much better. That would be making a real transformative change in people's lives.

On amendment No. 205, and the provision of a sufficient amount of affordable housing available to buy and rent, this goes back to our discussion earlier. This should absolutely be running through our entire planning system. I know the Minister is going to say that there is other legislation that deals with affordable and social housing.