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

I join other speakers in complimenting the Minister on the introduction of the Bill. I am not a great admirer of development at all cost; we need to have quality development. From all the speakers so far, the same theme has emerged that we need to have quality, particularly with large-scale developments. There must also be regard for local residents who have already paid for their houses or are in the course of paying for their houses by way of mortgage and may have their houses devalued by the nature and density of the development superimposed upon them, for want of a better description.

I will give an example of how this works. In a local rural community in my constituency, numerous applications for one-off houses have been refused on the basis of water levels and all the usual reasons. I accept that if it is not acceptable, it is not acceptable. In the case of a recent planning application for a private mental health facility - which is laudable and I fully agree with the need for it - the local people felt it did not have any regard for their views or entitlements. On their behalf, we lodged an objection which proposed a modification of the proposal. However, the applicant sees other ways and means of doing it by bulldozing and denigrating anybody who stands in their path, which is not acceptable. They think they can bulldoze their way through the planning system regardless of what the neighbours think. Notwithstanding that none of them live in the area, they do not mind superimposing it on somebody else. We need to be careful about allowing too much scope for such people.

I will certainly accommodate anybody who wants to facilitate a debate on that issue which is fundamental to what we are trying to do in this House. We need to acknowledge the rights and entitlements of people who are already here. We know we will not be here for too long; we will be replaced by somebody else who will represent those needs. I strongly support the building of houses and other essential services.

An application has been made for a development that encompasses 28 or 29 houses in an area where countless applications have been refused. It is on a site which is virtually landlocked behind council houses that were built years ago. Residents were sneered at when it was brought to the attention of the authorities that building right at the rear of those houses could be a security issue. Of course, it is a security issue. Building behind and overlooking existing houses is obviously a security issue and is certainly a privacy issue.

I support the points made by the previous speakers. I know the Minister will take these into account because they are fundamental to what we need to do at present. We need to provide desirable development of a quality that is not a blight on society or the landscape and does not override the rights and entitlements of the existing population.

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