Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

It is important to point out what I see as reality in the Minister's proposal regardless of what he thinks of it. In the area where I live three local authorities come together — Meath County Council, Drogheda Borough Council and Louth County Council. While most developments of a commercial or industrial nature whether built in the county of Meath or the county of Louth all impinge directly on, say, the town of Drogheda, what the Minister of State is saying is that the fact that it affects two adjoining local authorities would mean it would not be a matter for decision-making locally if it falls in the test of the special strategy or the other test mentioned and would go straight to An Bord Pleanála strategic infrastructure board. I am concerned at that because there is no real test. If a decision affects two local authorities, it affect everybody. If a decision in an adjoining rural council affects an urban area the urban area will not participate in and cannot be part of the initial decision-making process and it goes straight to An Bord Pleanála. While it does not exclude the report from the manager or the views of elected members it takes the decision-making process out of the local arena. There is no test in paragraph (c) other than the fact that the development would have a significant effect on the area of more than one planning authority. That is not a good provision to have in the Bill. There are many issues that would be local in nature but will end up with the strategic infrastructure board. I am concerned that local democracy will lose out as a result.

Drogheda, Limerick and Waterford are examples of large towns or growing cities expanding into rural areas. The relevant test should be the local development plan. The adjoining local authority may want to do something that would be against the objectives of that plan. Therefore, the Minister of State should delete lines 34 to 36 in page 6, because they go against local democracy and the strategic objectives of the development plan. It takes away decision-making from the local arena without any real test in terms of strategic nature. The development would have a significant effect on the area of more than one planning authority. It does not necessarily have to contribute to the national spatial strategy and it does not necessarily have to be stated in any regional planning guidelines. Guidelines in respect of local development plans are not included. Local development planning guidelines would be excluded and ignored in the Minister of State's proposal as I see it.

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