Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle and the Ceann Comhairle and their respective offices for affording me the opportunity to raise once again the stalled development of the town centre in Naas. This has been a blight on the town for almost ten years now and I think everyone has tried their best to move the development onwards and get the works rolling and restarted once again. It is especially timely to mention the fact that Naas is the county town of Kildare. It always has been a busy and very important market town. For reasons outside the control of local administration, the downturn in the economy affected it very severely, and the cranes that were there at the beginning are still there. I hope this is the last time I have to raise the issue of the immobile cranes on the horizon in the town of Naas.

Since I last raised the issue in the House, there have been some positive developments but they are extremely slow. Despite countless meetings and discussions in recent times with the local authority, the legal people, NAMA and the receiver's representatives, who have all been helpful and positive in what they have to do, one matter is outstanding. I refer to the legal issues concerning rights of way, which I am glad to note are now at least going to the High Court for resolution. While this might take some time, it is to be hoped that we will see these issues resolved before the end of this year.

In the meantime, it is important to use the time available to all administrators, including the Minister and the local authority, to assess the situation once again in order to ascertain whether further planning permission is required. For instance, if all planning permissions relating to the site have to be renewed, that will take some considerable time. Therefore, I ask that in the downtime we have, while awaiting the outcome of the remaining issues, the local authority and the Minister engage with a view to clarifying, at least - I hope ensuring - that planning permission is not required or that part of the development can proceed without new planning permission. As we all know, there is always the danger of long delays in cases of developments of this nature. At this stage, what is important is that nothing falters from here on. We cannot afford that to happen. There are about five prime sites within the town boundaries - the main one to which I refer and four others - all of which are available. It was sad that the major commercial development moved outside the town. It was not the local authority's decision, but rather An Bord Pleanála's, to move the development outside of the town and with it bring the footfall that is the necessary lifeblood of every commercial centre in the country.

I ask the Minister to use his influence with the local authority and seek its full co-operation in speeding up the administrative procedures now required as a matter of urgency. If this is done now in the downtime we have, I think we can look forward to an early and positive start of the development at the town centre in Naas, with obvious consequential benefits for the entire area.

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