Mr. John O'Connor:

The three main areas I would like to highlight are the use of public land, housing supply and affordability and climate change. Turning first to the use of public lands, most of the objectives and functions of the LDA relate to the use of public lands. One area the committee might consider is the level of long-term control of public lands and the level of ownership that should be kept by the State and local authorities. I refer to retaining ownership, in some cases, and leasing that land so that control is retained. The balance of control of lands that should be retained by State is open to debate.

The Housing Agency will initially be transferring three sites in Skerries, Balbriggan and Naas to the LDA. To date, the board of the Housing Agency has applied the principle when transferring lands that such lands have to be used for public or community purposes. Transfers already undertaken to local authorities or AHBs have been for social and affordable social housing, schools or community use. The Housing Agency desires that lands in its ownership which are transferred to the LDA would, in the main, remain in public control in the long term. It is also important that the LDA is given support when lands are transferred to it from Government agencies and organisations.

The first big issue is how should we use public lands, what long-term control should we have in place and what is appropriate.

The second issue is housing supply and affordability. One of the main objectives is for the LDA to deliver housing on scale to help address the housing crisis, of which a key element is affordability. We want housing that is affordable to buy or rent in the main in terms of what is being delivered on sites under the control of the LDA. We need a mixture of tenures and income groups to build good communities.

Semi-public uses would entail social housing use, cost-affordable rental and affordable purchase housing. There has been much debate about rental versus ownership, but it is a question of getting the balance right. There is a need for both in our housing system.

The advantages of providing affordable rental housing are that the land is kept in public control and investment can be put in place to fund developments, which ensures certainty of delivery. Building in scale also helps to reduce market rents. Home ownership advantages are that it gives people a clear stake and equity in their properties and provides security, particularly compared with the private rental sector. People will also have a long-term asset as their mortgages are repaid. It is a question of getting the balance between rental and home ownership right.

The third issue I wish to highlight is climate change. It is critical that the LDA's developments be sustainable and that climate change be taken into account therein. None of us appreciates the scale of the climate change problems we are facing. In that context, the agency needs to consider how its developments will work in ten, 30 or 60 years. Perhaps the approach should be to ask how a development undertaken today will be perceived in 30 years. A development should not be considered from today's perspective.

We must ensure that we comply with the national planning framework, particularly as regards compact growth in our towns and cities where the LDA is focused. We must ensure an adequate density, particularly density of population, to support public transport and public infrastructure and reduce car usage. It is important that sustainability be a key aspect of the developments undertaken by the LDA. The agency should be a leader in this regard, particularly compared with the private sector.

These are the three key issues: how to use the public lands and what level of long-term control should we keep; affordability and how to focus on getting housing supply delivered; and how to take the climate change agenda into account in delivery. We are happy to answer members' questions.