Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yes. I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle.

I wish to raise a number of issues under these proposed regulations or rather, other issues relating to planning and development regulations that are not addressed by this document but have been passed on to the Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government.

I agree at the outset about over-the-shop living. I fought strongly for it to be included in the programme for Government because it gives the Minister an opportunity to rejuvenate towns and villages throughout Ireland that have lost out. There are plenty of them in my own constituency, for example, Leap, Castletownbere, Skibbereen, Goleen, Kinsale, Dunmanway and Drimoleague. All of these towns need more life and there are loads of people looking for housing in these towns and they are unable to get it. A two-bedroom council house has become available in Ballydehob in the past couple of days and while I have received a number of calls about it, they cannot all get into that house. If there was a opportunity for more over-the-shop development, there would be an opportunity for at least some accommodation for these people.

Making planning more simplified is something I plead with the Minister of State to fight for. I refer to the difficulties the ordinary couple who are trying to start off in life encounter. We all receive representations from such couples in our constituencies every day of the week. They have been run out of their own ground. They have acres of ground and they cannot find a site on it. They look for a nice place to set up living and they have difficulties with the banks and with planning. They spend 12 months fighting with the planners costing tens of thousands of euro. They need to be in a situation where the planner sits down with them and identifies a site, they go forward and work towards their planning in a three-to-four month period, and for it not to be dragged out the way it is being done for them.

I have brought up the issue of giving planning exemptions on many occasions with the Minister of State. We have to be careful. We saw what has happened with the Bantry mechanical harvesting situation. Deputy English is tired of and worn out from hearing me. I say genuinely the Minister of State is not to blame. I will make that clear from the floor of the Dáil here. Deputy English did not sign that document. I am not saying that, but the Minister of State will be aware the planning process was very flawed on that.

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