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

Deputy McAuliffe raised valid points and I understand them. I wish to respond directly to them. First, does providing cultural spaces, better public lighting and all that sort of stuff come at a cost? Potentially, it comes at a cost. However, if affordability was running through our entire planning system, it would be much more cost-effective to provide housing at affordable rates and provide the amenities and facilities we need with that. I have further amendments that address some of these issues around active land management and affordable housing zoning.

Shared facilities are actually quite a cost-effective way even within our existing planning system to provide more cultural and community spaces. It has been done well, for example, in Fingal County Council. In many of the new developments in those areas, the council has put capital funding into sports halls that go with schools. There is a larger sports hall with community rooms around it and the full school has access until perhaps 3.30 p.m. and the community has access from a different entrance in the evenings and at weekends. It works well and has been happening for years. That should be happening around the country but because we do not have enough emphasis on it, it is not happening in other places, which is a massive missed opportunity. If affordability was running through our planning system like all the other issues listed out in the national planning statements, that would mean we have things like, for example, the programme for Government talks about the Vienna model of affordable housing. In Vienna, there is affordable housing zoning so when, for example, industrial or agricultural lands get rezoned for housing, it is subject to an affordable housing zoning, which limits the price of that land. That means housing can be delivered at more affordable rates, the cultural spaces-----