Mr. Hubert Fitzpatrick:

I thank the Deputy. The key objective is minimising the amount of stone and soil we have to remove from a site. Can it be utilised effectively on site? That is an environmental objective of building. By and large, the design of the open space is always approved in planning.

On barriers to retrofitting, in many cases we could be talking about commercial buildings or office buildings that cannot be retrofitted. It might be a case of the internal design. It could be floor-to-ceiling heights being inadequate. It could be internal layouts. There could be WC facilities on half-floors or not on floors. There could be difficulties with compliance with building regulations. Also, in a lot of cases these offices are in areas where there is much development air space around them, where good, sustainable use is not being made of the plot. It might be well-served by traffic and all the services, but there is not enough density onsite to ensure there is proper footfall on it. Under the current planning regime, if one intends to demolish a building one must demonstrate to the planning authority and indeed to An Bord Pleanála that it is more sustainable to demolish than it would be to retrofit. We have to be concerned about the longer-term use of the buildings, the long-term occupancy and the environmental performance of the building when finished. Under the planning regime everything has to be looked at now. If one wants to demolish one must substantiate why that is more environmental than it would be to retrofit.