Noel Ahern (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)

——but the local authority can decide to change the provision of the site from three miles to 23 miles outside the city. That legal change was introduced in 2002 for good reason, namely, to provide the flexibility sought by the local authorities, the Department and, in some cases, developers. It made good sense. The key issue is that the local authority makes the decision in accordance with the law of the land and its housing strategy. That is the central point.

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