Maria Bailey (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Like Deputy Cassells, I will be speaking to the Bill and not going off on a tangent like speakers earlier in the debate. This Bill seeks to fast-track the planning and building control process in each local authority so that properties currently requiring a change of use from commercial or industrial purposes to residential can be fast-tracked to allow, for example, for use of space over a shop, where it is currently vacant, for housing purposes. I welcome this Bill as it unlocks another source of currently untapped accommodation that can be brought into use and will not only provide additional housing but will also benefit towns around the country by putting people back into town centres and giving life and vitality back to those deserted towns. The one-stop shop application procedure referred to in this Bill is a way to try to deal with this change of use issue but, at the same time, we have to be conscious that we safeguard the security of future tenants in these buildings and that they comply in totality with the fire safety and building control regulations that we all have to adhere to.

The concept of living over a shop or "the lots", as we used to call it, has existed in planning policy in practice for some time and in my own county of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, a living over the shop policy is contained within the current county development plan. It allows for such change of use in the county's towns of Dún-Laoghaire, Glasthule, Dalkey, Sandycove, Blackrock, Monkstown and Dundrum, and planning applications under this policy allow for the development and management standards for offsetting private open space, parking, unit size, etc., to be left at the discretion of the planning authority. Data from Dún Laoghaire show that from 2013 to 2016, only eight applications were received and Deputy Curran alluded to this earlier with regard to different localities. Under that policy, only 75% were granted planning permission and in the late 1990s to the early 2000s, a national scheme targeted at Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford and Galway sought, via tax incentive, to encourage owners of buildings that had vacant upper floors to bring them into residential use. A review of the scheme by Goodbody Economic Consultants in 2005 found that the take-up of the scheme was limited to only 132 projects in the five included cities.

Rebuilding Ireland also recognised the need to examine regulatory controls for planning and building and removed the potential barriers to such reuse. The Government is advancing a number of initiatives in this regard including one about setting up a working group. A dedicated Department with a multi-disciplinary working group will prepare additional guidance in a regulatory context. Guidance will advise local authorities and the industry about how to better facilitate the use of alternative approaches to reuse or redevelop underused other buildings in the context of regulatory requirements. The development of a new online application process for a building control management system will streamline the certification process. Such certificates are for fire, safety, disability access, etc.

There are planning exemptions in the Rebuilding Ireland commitment to review the planning legislation. The Minister is proposing amendments to the exempted development in planning regulations to allow for the change of use of vacant commercial units in urban areas to residential use without the need to obtain planning permission. It is unfortunate that Deputy Mattie McGrath has left the House, as he left the joint Oireachtas committee earlier. He said that they are talking shops about balderdash and poppycock, which is really unfortunate because, this morning, by coincidence, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government was attended by witnesses from the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland and Engineers Ireland to deal with the construction industry regulation bill, which is about the standards of workmanship. It also requires that builders and subcontractors register or be currently registered as part of that process so that we know the workmanship is of the required standard.

They have to produce certificates or show experience in this field, and show where they have delivered good building in order to qualify, so that the consumer is protected and knows that the builder he or she employs is of the appropriate standard and that we expect, and not have the problems we had of the past of substandard building controls. If Deputy Mattie McGrath wants to call that balderdash and poppycock, he was at a very different meeting than the one attended this morning by Deputy Casey, Deputy Cowen and myself. We heard valuable qualified contributions. It definitely was not a talking shop for any of those attending.

While I welcome the intention of the Bill, I will be putting down some amendments. We need flexibility around the Part M regulations and others. I look forward to the Bill progressing to Committee Stage and to working with the other committee members to seek a solution in this.

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