Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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Returning to Killmallock, it is a town with buildings from the 14th century and there are conservation orders on many of the properties. In other countries, conservation orders mean keeping the front façade and allowing the rest to be modernised. One business owner has contacted me to say he is seeking to do up an existing premises to allow him to provide two apartments over it. The conservation officers have said "No", and that he must apply for planning permission to do this, which will take 12 months. I looked at the building the other day. I have been in construction all my life and this building should be considered under section 57 for repair straightaway because there are faults in it. Conservation is stopping this work, when two more people could be housed in Killmallock. The person who owns this shop also has one in Cork. He is in a position there to build a unit at the back of his shop that will accommodate his 20 staff members and assure the viability of his business. Again, under the laws at the moment, if this person goes to build these units he will have to provide some of them for social and affordable housing. From a security perspective, that is not viable where they are. He wants these units for staff only. These people are currently putting pressure on the rental market and on the housing market, in a context where they could be housed.

I know we have time constraints, but where businesspeople can provide accommodation, they should be allowed to do so. Equally, work on existing buildings should not be held up for two or three years in the planning process when we could house more people, keep the community in place and ensure those businesses remain open.