Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 8:

In page 3, line 24, to delete "5 years, or until 31 December 2021" and substitute "2 years, or until 31 December 2019".

This amendment is similar to the previous one. These planning permissions were given in 2007 or prior to that.

That is ten years. There are people living in housing estates that commenced in 2007. For understandable reasons, the builder was not able to proceed as there was not a market and all of that. Very understandably, legislation was brought in to extend the duration. It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement with a sunset clause. It was understandable because of the economic situation at the time. Those same people are still living in that housing estate, however. It is still not complete. If it goes to 2021, they will have lived on a building site for 15 years. Is that fair?

We are trying to be fair to the construction industry side but we also have to be fair to people who are living in housing estates that are essentially building sites. It may well be a small number of estates but it is an unfair burden to put on those people. I can point the Minister to one of these estates if needs be. I am not talking in academic terms. Some of them only had street lighting installed in the last six months although the houses were started in 2007. There are some very bad examples.

If the Minister wants to save a developer from having to make another planning application with all the uncertainty it involves, the best thing is to put a limit on the time. The limit is reasonable at two years if we want houses built quickly. This is a benefit that is being given to a particular cohort but it is also of benefit that the houses will be delivered quickly and the foot will not be taken off the pedal. It is absolutely reasonable if there is going to be an extension of duration, which is a pretty big breach of planning law. Planning is supposed to be about orderly development, certainty and all of that. The certainty is not only for the developer. It is also for people who are living in these estates or going to buy in them. There has to be fairness on the other side. I know the Minister is going to disagree with this for exactly the same reasons as those he has given to Deputy Eamon Ryan. In this case, I feel very strongly that certainty has to be given to people who are living in those estates as well.

See this speech in context