Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Tuesday, 8 July 2025
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage
Priorities of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage: Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage
2:00 am
James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. I agree; the retail landscape has changed dramatically over the last number of years. I think it is going to continue to do so and we are going to see less and less retail. Those guidelines were put in at a very different time when people had a very different vision of what that future would be. In fairness, it was probably with the good intention that where you are building a lot of housing, there would be that retail element those people could benefit from, whether it was grocery stores or whatever the case may be. We do not want properties left idle so we will continue to facilitate those types of properties being converted into homes. They need to be used and residential use, for me, is always the best use for those.