Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I would prefer not to comment on an individual planning application, building or SDZ without having studied it. I am not informed enough to comment specifically on it but I am advised that Dublin City Council is reviewing the SDZ for that area. I would expect the council to take all issues into account, including the impact on existing residents, their residential amenity and all of the factors that should be taken into account in planning.

On a general note, I support the policy of us going higher in our cities, not just in Dublin but also in the Tivoli docklands in the centre of Cork and the city centres of Limerick and Galway. Rather than growing out and continuing to sprawl, our cities should grow up. That is not just for housing. It also applies to office buildings, public buildings and every type of building we build. If we have more dense development, which involves some high rise in our city centres, it is right in terms of climate action and our response to climate change. It means less commuting and people spending less time in their cars and more time with their families. It means that we can run public services and public transport much more efficiently. The Deputy and I, and, I am sure, most people in this House, travel all over the world and see beautiful cities all over the world that have high density be they Chicago, San Diego or Barcelona. People there have a good quality of life, good services and good public transport and live in much higher densities. I do not think that is a bad model. I think it is a good model but we must take everything into account. Whether a planning application is for a two, six or 25-storey building, planners must take into all factors into account such as the architectural merit of the building, its impact on other people and whether it is a near zero-emissions building. In principle, we are right to go higher in our cities but one does not just go ahead and do it without taking all those other factors into account.

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