Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To clarify, for Deputy Joan Collins, the mixed tenure unit is the unit within my Department that will deal with the post-planning stage and the funding and approval of it. The planning stage is separate. That unit is being established. In response to the point made by Deputy Ó Broin, I can state that it will be a three-stage process. I believe that St. Michael's is such a significant site that I am absolutely open to looking at how we can ensure that the project is expedited. I will certainly arrange a meeting with interested Deputies, who are either from the constituency or are spokespersons, such as Deputy Ó Broin and others. Perhaps Deputy Cian O'Callaghan will be interested. I will arrange that meeting at the appropriate time. I think we need to let the public consultation happen. I suggest that we do that. The Deputy's question is very timely, because the consultation is happening between 8 and 31 March. I have no interest in delaying this project. I want to see it done. In response to Deputy Bríd Smith, I believe in cost rental. That is why one of the first things I did when I took office was to work on the affordable housing legislation with colleagues to get it enacted to ensure that we have a national cost-rental scheme that is underpinned by legislation. We have cost-rental tenants in place in homes in counties Dublin and Kildare. There will be hundreds more this year. We are not just talking about a concept.

To deal with cost, the term of the loan and so on, the HFA may have a role to play. While the EIB has its role, we will explore that with some of the bigger sites without complicating or delaying project further. There have been no delays to the project from our side. Deputy Bríd Smith mentioned that I am sketching out the timeframe. I do not know what will happen in planning. I do not know whether there will be objections to the project, whether there will be judicial reviews or whether people will go to court over it. I do not know any of that, because it is independent of me. I hope there will not be delays. The way the council is approaching this project on a plan-led basis is correct. People can see the detail of what we will be proposing to build there. It is important to take the feedback from residents now. I want the council to submit the planning application by the end of this year. I can assure Deputy Joan Collins that I am encouraging Dublin City Council in a very positive way to make sure that that timeline is hit. I cannot say who is going to object to or make observations on the application. I hope that it receives a fair wind through the planning process and is granted permission. We already know that in advance of that, the council will be submitting proposals to me and the Department in relation to funding. We can work that through in advance of planning permission being granted. I am expecting a new application from Dublin City Council under the affordable housing fund. I have not received it yet. The council is working through it on the basis of knowing how many units are going to be on the site. I expect and hope that the Deputies here will support the increased number of homes there. We will deliver 578 homes there, 75% of which will be cost rental and 25% of which will be social housing.

I hope they will encourage residents and work with them to make sure it gets through planning quickly.

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