Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I note the Deputies representing Cork are out in force today. This is the third Topical Issue from Cork. Kudos to them.

I thank Deputy Stanton for his question on the Cork county development plan, which I am answering on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for planning and local government, Deputy Peter Burke, and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Darragh O'Brien. The Cork County Development Plan 2022-28 was agreed by the elected members of Cork County Council on 25 April 2022. In accordance with section 31AM(6) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, the chief executive of Cork County Council issued a notice to the Office of the Planning Regulator informing the office of where the planning authority had decided not to comply with recommendations made in the relevant report of the office.

The office considered this note and issued a notice under section 31AM(8) of the Act to the responsible Minister on 20 May 2022, recommending that he exercise his function to take such steps to ensure that the plan sets out an overall strategy for proper planning and sustainable development. The Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, subsequently issued the note of intention to direct the chief executive of Cork County Council on 3 June 2022.

The process now entails a number of steps. A two-week public consultation began on the draft direction on 17 June, which is open for submissions up to and including 1 July. No later than four weeks after the expiry of the consultation period, the chief executive must prepare a report on the submissions received which is given to the elected members, the office and the Minister. The office must then consider the chief executive's report and submissions and shall recommend to the Minister that the direction is issued with or without minor amendments. If there are no amendments, or the amendments are only minor, the Minister may issue the direction to Cork County Council.

The direction under section 31 has immediate effect. A copy of the direction will be laid before each House of the Oireachtas and made available on the website of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Where the office is of the opinion that a material amendment to the draft direction is required, further investigation is necessary or it is necessary for another reason, the office may then appoint an inspector no later than three weeks after receipt of the chief executive's report. The inspector has three weeks from when appointed to give a report to the office.

The office makes the inspector's report available to the chief executive and regional assembly and any persons who made a submission on the draft direction. Submissions are allowed within a ten-day time period after receipt of the inspector's report. The office has three weeks or can extend that period after receipt of the inspector's report on any submissions made, as the case may be, to recommend to the Minister with responsibility for planning and local government to issue the direction, not to issue the direction or to issue a direction which has been amended by the office to take account of recommendations in the inspector's report and any submissions made.

The Minister can then decide to issue or not issue that direction. The Minister has stated he can make no further comment at this time due to the fact that this is a live statutory process. I understand where the Deputy is coming from. As he stated quite clearly, he is coming from a perspective of perhaps 850 jobs and employment in construction. Furthermore, concerning the matter of a retail outlet centre in Cork, it is the subject of ongoing legal proceedings and, consequently, the Minister cannot make any further comment at this time.

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