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
Ms Dearbhla Lawson:
We have our own consultation and engagement strategy. It forms an early stage of the process. Before we even design schemes, we think about listening and gathering. It is proportionate to the area and involves thinking about what the context is, who the stakeholders are and what we need to do to support delivering sustainable communities, as well as thinking about compact and low-carbon development. It is about looking at what is in the area, what its needs and requirements are and how we can support that. We recognise that where there are places of significant change, we need to look at what the issues are for the local community so that we build inclusive, integrated communities, which respond to the needs and contribute positively to the area. We have that strategy. Mr. Coleman referenced the Dundrum example where we had a five-stage consultation over a number of years involving thousands of different engagements. It was very helpful because that helped to build into the design consideration and to improve the scheme overall.