Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 23 January 2024

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government

Update on Affordable Homes, Public Lands, Strategic Planning and Projects: Land Development Agency

Mr. John Coleman:

We do not think necessarily like a profit-making developer. We are here to make an impact in the interests of the State and the public for the long term. As a result, amenity and going the extra mile to provide those facilities is important to us and we are always open to it.

From a schools perspective, we were fairly clear that, unless there is schools capacity and unless we consider the use of schools in an area, we have to allow for that. We are looking at various sites at the moment where there is a school allowance made.

We view that as sacrosanct. It is not something we would ever try to muscle out just to squeeze in an extra block or something like that. That is very short-term thinking. I will ask my colleagues, Mr. O'Neill and Ms Lawson, to add to that by giving some examples.