Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)

I thank the Ceann Comhairle in his absence for giving me an opportunity to raise this important issue that has arisen as a result of the recent guidelines issued by the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche. Rather than loosening planning, the planning guidelines have tightened planning regulations. I refer in particular to landowners' sons and daughters who want to build on their own farm in rural areas but find they cannot do so because bodies such as the National Roads Authority can object to a planning application.

I know of two applications in my constituency where planning permission was granted by Clare County Council to two local farmers' sons who wanted to build houses with direct access to national secondary roads. I realise safety is an important issue for anyone building a house, particularly if it has direct access to a national secondary route, but both these people whom I know well had gone to great expense in planning applications and safety audits. They satisfied the local authority that there was no danger to traffic emerging onto the national secondary route because they had the adequate site distance to overcome any problems.

Both applicants were granted their planning applications after a lengthy period of consultation with the local authority. I am disappointed to note that the National Roads Authority has appealed the planning applications that were granted by Clare County Council. These young people were born and grew up in their own parish and wish to continue living there. They do not want to relocate to the nearest town because they work and live on a farm. It is part of their job to be on-site in the event of problems arising on the farm.

The National Roads Authority objected to An Bord Pleanála, even after the council planners had satisfied themselves as to the safety aspects of the planning application. This places additional stress and an unfair burden on the applicants. They have gone through the planning process and received permission, yet they find they are back to square one after a year or two. They will now have to go through the long process again of seeking planning permission from An Bord Pleanála, although they do not know what the outcome will be. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy Roche, should sort out this mess.

The new guidelines were introduced to reverse rural decline by facilitating members of the rural community who wish to build homes in their localities. We find, however, that while council planners are implementing the guidelines, the National Roads Authority is operating a different strategy. The NRA should be mandated to work closely with local authorities on road strategy, not in opposition to them.

The Minister should examine that situation seriously having regard to the guidelines he introduced recently. He said he recognises the strong and continuing tradition of people living in rural areas. He also said that the guidelines should promote and support vibrant rural communities, but exactly the opposite is happening. People connected to the land find that they must fight their cases every inch of the way, even after they appear to have won.

According to the guidelines, housing should take into account the efficient ongoing development and safe operation of key transport arteries such as roads, particularly national primary and secondary routes, and the rail network. The NRA, however, appears to be at loggerheads with Clare County Council on the issue. The NRA wrote to the council last March stating that it was disappointed with Clare County Council's approach to the county development plan. The situation is serious considering that the new guidelines were meant to facilitate a more liberal regime. There is an urgent need for the Minister to clarify the position now. The Minister of State may say in his reply that he has no control over the NRA and the Minister for Transport would say the same thing, but what is the point of the new guidelines if an independent statutory body can overrule them? I ask the Minister to examine this situation with a view to allowing people to remain in their local areas.

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