Joe Higgins (Dublin West, Socialist Party)

I do not want the Minister to pre-empt the outcome of the study, but I would like him to elaborate on the development of the Abbotstown lands from the viewpoint of having them opened as a residential amenity for residents of the greater Blanchardstown and wider area. Does the Minister agree that greater Blanchardstown is growing at an unprecedented rate, with thousands of residential units being built in a very short space of time? There is enormous pressure for public open space and a great need for recreational facilities. Is he aware of an adjoining massive development, at Tyrellstown, of 2,000 homes, opened for the first time only four years ago, with not an acre of "Class 1" open space? Incredibly the county council let the developer off with a cash contribution and now land, as a result of the speculators' unbridled greed, cannot be bought for an enormous conglomeration such as that. Could this situation not be ameliorated if the lands at Abbotstown were opened as part of a plan for recreational facilities for the community in the greater Blanchardstown area? I would like to hear the Minister's views on this and those of his Department.

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