Denis Naughten (Longford-Roscommon, Fine Gael)

Previously I was making the point that the Garda Síochána should have a role in decisions on major housing developments to ensure that development does not take place in a manner that facilitates anti-social behaviour. Planners in my local authority have jeered and sneered at me for bringing to their attention a number of developments in which anti-social behaviour is facilitated by the design of green spaces that are not overlooked by the windows of any houses. Research on anti-social behaviour in different developments shows, and all the top architects in the world will confirm, the importance of ensuring that public open spaces are overlooked by the windows of surrounding properties as that provides necessary security. Sadly, that has not happened in some parts of the country.

On a different topic, another problem is the tendency in some parts of the west to allow a montage of brightly coloured houses in housing estates. That is completely contrary to the building standards that were in place heretofore. For example, a number of housing estates in County Roscommon have houses that are bright red, yellow or blue. If the housing in any village in County Roscommon was painted in that manner, the village would be deducted points in the tidy towns competition. In places such as County Roscommon and many of the midlands counties, the housing is of a very plain style without the bright colours that are seen in parts of Munster. It is a pity that local authorities are allowing such developments to establish themselves in counties such as Roscommon.

Another issue I want to highlight is development contributions. I am aware of one development in the south Roscommon area for which the developer handed over €2 million to the local authority, which has not spent one cent of that money in that local electoral area. I appreciate that local authorities need to pool development contributions and spend the money throughout the county rather than just in the area where the development is taking place, but it is critical that part of the contribution is ring-fenced for the local area to provide it with amenities and services that are not currently available.

Similarly, we need a methodology for the calculation of development contributions throughout the country. For example, as spokesperson for agriculture, I am aware that some local authorities demand development contributions for the construction of farmyard buildings for which farmers will be able to claim waste management grants. In some areas those grants will be eaten up by local authority development contributions whereas in other areas such developments are exempt from contributions. We need some standardisation across the board because the current situation is confusing for business and developers. The process needs to be more streamlined.

Part 2 of the Bill will strengthen the enforcement powers of building control authorities. Building control is in a mess and is a complete joke. If the developer of a facility does a runner, funds are not available for the local authority to take charge of the facility. The Government needs to examine the issue of enforcement because the existing legislation is wholly inadequate to deal with such situations.

One issue that infuriates me, although it is a small matter, is the names given to some housing estates. I cannot understand how names such as "Tudor Lawns" get through the planning process. Many such names are English ones superimposed on Irish developments and this should not be tolerated. Developments should utilise local names rather than names which are alien not only to the areas in question but also to the country as a whole.

Developers have a responsibility to provide local authorities with the proper Irish translation of the names of their developments. Although we have Irish language officers, disputes can arise in some cases regarding Irish translations of particular estates. The Irish translations of the names of housing estates should therefore be clarified at an early stage by developers when they are submitting their proposals to the local authorities. They should submit sensible names for their housing estates and include the Irish translations so people will know them. Disputes over translations can be messy in some cases and they would not arise if a sensible approach were taken in the first instance.

Discussing this Bill is useless unless we have proper resources to enforce it. The area planner of my local authority took up office on 1 January 2006 and, although I have left numerous messages for that person every week, we have still not spoken. It is unacceptable in this day and age that certain public officials are not prepared to respond to elected councillors or Members of the Oireachtas in respect of planning queries and provide clarity. As bad as the Department of Health and Children is, which subject we debated previously, the local authority structure, especially the structure of planning offices, is appalling by comparison. This is not just the case in my local authority because colleagues from other local authority areas have told me they experience the exact same difficulties. Some officials almost believe it is an honour for one to be rung by them to respond to a query.

Part of the problem is the lack of planners in local authorities to deal with planning cases on a day-to-day basis. The position on enforcement is appalling, and wholly inadequate resources are being made available in this regard. Staff are being stolen from enforcement offices to engage in day-to-day planning because there are statutory obligations in respect of planning.

Last Monday a constituent of mine rang me about a sand hill that was being removed by a developer. I contacted the planning enforcement section and discovered there was no planning permission to remove it but the staff said they could do nothing unless my complaint was put in writing. By the time my letter would reach the local authority, the hill would be removed. What is happening is stupid and unless adequate resources are in place, talking about this legislation will only make a farce of the matter.

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