Timmy Dooley (Fianna Fail)
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On the point Deputy Bruton rightly identified, some of the Georgian buildings in this city in the 1970s and 1980s were brass-plate offices for smaller solicitors, accountancy firms and so on and are vacant now, yet heritage in various local authorities require them to be maintained in exactly the same format. I do not suggest we should not try to protect and preserve our heritage but in London there are similar buildings within a stone's throw of Buckingham Palace. As long as the facade and general structure is maintained, they can change the internal character of the building. That recognises insulation, ensures they are appropriately protected against the spread of fire and brings them to a standard acceptable for people to live in today. It is virtually impossible to do that here, unless the changes were made prior to 1963, when the first Planning Act came in. Should we look to utilise those properties better, rather than letting them fall into dereliction?

There are issues around escape or egress from the backs of these buildings. In other countries, it is easier to construct a fire escape at the back. If we are serious about the circular economy and reusing and making better use of residential spaces, do we not have to look at protecting and preserving our heritage without maintaining it in exactly the same form? There is a view held by some that some of these houses with eight or ten bedrooms should go back to the residences of the past; however, there are not many people who need to be in an eight-bedroom house on Haddington Road or wherever. The nature of the requirement has changed. Do we need to look at that as well?