Mr. Brendan McDonagh:

There is no point in building an estate if there are not the amenities around it. That is the responsibility of the planning system. When planning is granted the planning system should make sure there is the appropriate infrastructure in the community around it. Is there a site for schools? Are there public parks? Are there play areas? That is particularly important, in my view, in places where apartments are being built. If you are building a house, there might be a bit of a front or back garden where kids can play or whatever the case may be but if apartments are being built, sometimes they are built and there are not sufficient amenities around them, for example, playgrounds and things like that. It is the responsibility of the planning system to make sure that if planning is granted, there are, for apartments in particular, sufficient amenities included as part of the planning conditions.