Batt O'Keeffe (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

It has been made plain that it is not appropriate to attach planning conditions regarding management companies in the case of traditional housing estates, with their own front and back gardens. I also consider that it is appropriate that planning authorities should take in charge the public roads, no matter what type of residential estate is in question. However, the traditional housing estate is, in many areas, being replaced by the mixed estate, which may contain apartments, duplex houses and terraced houses, with shared facilities such as car parking and gardens. High specification paving, lighting and landscaping are frequently features of such estates. Genuine questions arise as to whether it is appropriate that all these facilities be taken in charge and maintained at public expense. Many of these facilities are replacing the traditional gardens, which, in a conventional housing estate, would fall to be maintained by the residents rather than the local authority.

Depending on the circumstances, it may be appropriate in the case of these newer estates for a management company to be in place to maintain facilities on behalf of the residents. In some cases the residents of such estates may have purchased their homes on the basis that the development remain a private one and not be taken in charge by the local authority.

My Department published a booklet last December entitled: Housing Policy Framework: Building Sustainable Communities. This sets out an agenda for an integrated package of policy initiatives on matters that included supporting higher densities and compact urban settlement through design innovation in the creation of new homes, new urban spaces and new neighbourhoods. In line with this, my Department is updating the residential density guidelines. It will be appropriate to examine further the issues of taking in charge and management companies in this context.

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