Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 4:

In page 12, line 40, after "Kildare," to insert "Drogheda and South Louth,"

The section of the Bill which deals with the definition of the DTA refers to the city of Dublin, the administrative counties of south Dublin, Fingal, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Kildare, Wicklow and Meath and such other areas as may be declared by order of the Minister. It is clear the development of counties Louth and Meath is integrated. The constituency review commission, the legislation for which will be published this week, recommends that part of east Meath should join County Louth for the purposes of political administration and Dáil constituencies. The Minister will be aware that east Meath is experiencing a phenomenal population growth but south Louth and Drogheda have equally high growth rates. A new development proposed for the outskirts of Drogheda, Sienna Valley, could attract up to 20,000 new residents over the next 15 years. The development of east Meath is, therefore, a mirror image of south Louth.

The difference is, however, that the Bill provides for a land use strategy within the DTA area. The DTA will have responsibility for ensuring the primacy of transport in planning considerations in this area. The authority's writ runs to the River Boyne but does not cross it, even though south Louth is experiencing the same problems as east Meath. Every day, thousands of commuters in the area leave estates which lack proper road networks. More traffic passes through Julianstown than travelled along the old N1. This is a serious issue. Including Drogheda and south Louth into the DTA area would allow for proper planning and development. An Bord Pleanála recently granted planning permission for more than 800 houses in east Meath even though Meath County Council had pointed out that the application made no provision for infrastructure to deal with the impact of the development. This Bill will prevent that from happening in the future in County Meath, but it will not prevent it in County Louth.

I also spoke to transport operators in County Louth, including Matthews Coach Hire. The DTA can offer incentives to transport operators in its area in regard to integrated ticketing, so those who are outside the area may have to bear additional costs.

If we are to introduce a dynamic and integrated planning regime and a proper land use strategy, communities on the edge of the proposed DTA area will have to be included because otherwise they will be left with developer and An Bord Pleanála led infrastructure. I referred earlier to An Bord Pleanála's decision in east Meath. People cannot understand how permission was granted in that instance but that will be repeated if transport planning does not become a primary consideration in land use strategies for south Louth and Drogheda. The thousands of people who live in the area will be faced with more of the same, which is unacceptable. It is critical that the Bill gets it right.

I acknowledge that the Minister may declare other areas from time to time. On Committee Stage he suggested that if elected members or local authorities write to the Minister, due consideration would be given to including them in the DTA area. However, he has not accepted the fundamental point that the same conditions apply both north and south of the River Boyne. If the boundary of the DTA runs only as far as the Boyne, the north of that border will not have the benefit of proper planning because it will be relatively easy for developers to get permission, they will be able to take advantage of loopholes and there will be less emphasis on sustainable and integrated development, including proper transport planning.

Other issues arise in regard to transport. The DTA will play an important role in deciding the location of new railway stations. It may require a local authority to construct a new railway station, which will have to be funded from planning charges, before allowing a development to proceed. Proposals have already been made for new commuter railway stations in Drogheda north and Dunleer, and commuters in mid-Louth are calling for a station to be built in order to cope with the increasing pressures commuters from the area are experiencing. If this area is not included, it is possible these railway stations will never be built.

It will not be a requirement at the planning permission stage. It will not be a requirement that such practicalities and sensible, reasonable and essential transport planning be considered. I do not believe the Minister will deny there is a need for these areas to be included. His colleagues in Louth do not deny it. In fact, the construction of the railway stations is a priority for all parties and for Louth County Council.

I put it to the Minister that he needs to re-examine this provision and to include Drogheda and south Louth in the DTA area thereby avoiding future problems. If they are included then planning in south Louth in terms of development and transport must go hand in hand. If they are not included, this will not happen. If under subsection (c) the Minister decides at a later date to add new areas what new arguments that have not been already put forward will have to be made in this regard? In my view, there are no further arguments that can be made in this regard.

If the Minister were to decide to include them, when might this happen? For what length of time must the legislation be in force before he could agree to include Drogheda and south Louth in the DTA area? I assume the timeframe in this regard would be at a minimum one year. It is not good enough to neglect or leave out these areas. I believe I have made a reasonably strong argument for their inclusion. I put it to the Minister that south Louth cannot afford to wait for this to happen or to wait for developer-led development with no proper public transport strategy. It cannot afford to wait for badly needed railway stations, which are being campaigned for locally, that are not part of the planning process. The Dublin Transport Authority will ensure developers, as part of the planning process, provide a proper transport strategy.

I congratulate Dublin Bus on its transport planning in the south Louth area generally. I have met with private contractors wishing to provide an orbital bus route around Drogheda, throughout County Louth and on into east Meath. The two areas are linked. There are other transport providers in the area. Matthews Coach Hire carries approximately 10,000 to 15,000 passengers per week on that corridor. It would mean a lot to its business if it could expand. The company is planning for the advent of the DTA and is also making plans in respect of the south Louth area. The inclusion in the DTA of Drogheda and south Louth would make a significant difference to this company and to everybody in that region. Bus Éireann is also doing great work in this region.

The inclusion of Dunleer and Drogheda north in the DTA would add to the capacity of Iarnród Éireann to agree to proper and decent transport planning. The Minister might argue, as he did on Committee Stage, that Drogheda is the same as Mullingar or any other city or town. It is not the same because it comes within the greater Dublin area.

The national spatial strategy examined issues such as growth centres throughout the country. It states that Drogheda is an important base, as is Navan which is also mentioned. The economies of these areas, as part of the greater Dublin area, are tied up in this. There are many sustainable and important arguments in favour of what I am saying. There are no indicators to the contrary. No other areas so close to Dublin are experiencing the type of problems in regard to transport, planning and proposed developments, domestic and commercial, as are Drogheda and south Louth.

I put it to the Minister that the national spatial strategy has identified a need in this regard. However, the problem is that the political representatives on the national spatial strategy who come from areas such as Kildare, south Dublin, Fingal, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Wicklow and Meath are all included in the planning process while elected representatives and officials in County Louth are not, as far as I am aware, included. I urge the Minister to take on board the arguments I have made.

See this speech in context