Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

I do not think the area should be sterilised. In my view, the NRA and the local authorities need to be pragmatic when it comes to planning applications in cases such as this. Both my Department and I will need to study this aspect more closely. It is the case in the UK that the rules are quite different and people can claim planning blight and say that the authorities there cannot hold reservations of land for such a long period, that they must either buy the land or leave the landowner alone. We will need to do some work in that regard to see what options exist.

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