Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

It is a bit further on. Maybe I am missing something. It is amendment No. 10. Deputy Pringle's is more detailed. I am not saying mine is better. I am trying to figure out the difference, what we are talking about here and what a structured pre-planning consultation with stakeholders, community groups and resident groups would look like. From my experience of listening to people talk, and the Minister is echoing it from his experience, I can offer advice if he wants to do away with the constant antagonism that exists between communities and sites where people suddenly feel as if they have been unleased on them and they are on the back foot. It is almost a knee-jerk reaction for people to say "No" because, particularly when it concerns significant sites in their area, they have often been chatting for month or years saying it would be great to have such a thing on that site.. There is local knowledge about some of these sites, what is needed need in an area and what would be good or appropriate. That local knowledge would benefit the pre-planning process and plans for proper development on a community or area and avoid much of the antagonism and protracted processes, if the Minister got people who are familiar with and have a stake in that site having input from the word "Go". The Minister should support the principle of these amendments.

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