Mr. Gavin Lawlor:

We are getting into the nitty-gritty of design but, in our submission on the new guidelines that have come out, we will welcome the fact that a range of densities are provided for. One of the challenges is always one size fitting all. That cannot be the case. Different villages and towns will have different demands and needs in other areas and you also have to look to the future as well as to the present in determining the appropriate density for an area. You have to look at the character of the area and a multiplicity of other issues that determine density from a design perspective. Sustainable development and compact urban growth involves providing infrastructure that will support the level of density you choose to put in a place. For example, if you specify a density of 200 units per hectare, which is a very high density involving apartment developments of six storeys or more, you need the infrastructure to support it. It is exactly as we have said: a sense of place, a sense of space, a place to walk your dog and a place to have active and passive recreation. All of those building blocks need to be put in place. There are some very good examples of attempts at that. The planning scheme at Poolbeg has won awards for the balance it tries to create. However, there is also the challenge of the provision of appropriate public transport. Classically, it has been a case of build it and we will come rather than putting in the infrastructure first. The only real exception to that is the Luas in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.