Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The draft Celbridge local area plan 2017-23 was prepared by Kildare County Council and was placed on statutory public display between 13 December 2016 and 3 February 2017. In my capacity as a statutory consultee to the local area plan process, I made a written submission to Kildare County Council under section 20 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 on 3 February 2017.

In my submission, the council was advised of certain objectives of national planning policy and ministerial planning guidelines that the draft local area plan must be fully in accordance with. The council was requested to address a number of highlighted issues in the subsequent material alterations stage of the local area plan process.

The decision to alter a draft local area plan that has been on public display is a reserved function of the members of the planning authority concerned under section 20(3)(e) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 and, if the members decide that amendments are appropriate, then the amended draft local area plan must go back on display for public consultation.

The report of the chief executive of Kildare County Council on submissions received on foot of the public display of the above mentioned draft local area plan has been issued to the elected members and the report will be considered by a future meeting of the planning authority. Should the planning authority decide to amend the draft local area plan, as a statutory consultee I will be circulated with particulars of such material amendments and I may make a further submission to the statutory process.

I do not consider it would be appropriate for me to comment further on the matter, pending the completion of the statutory local area plan process under section 20 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 by Kildare County Council.

See this speech in context