Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Guím gach rath ar an Teachta Ó Cuív fosta agus é ag fágáil na Dála.

Tá mé ag ardú na ceiste ó thaobh mo Dháilcheantair agus mo chontae féin i nDún na nGall agus na fadhbanna móra atá ag daoine cead pleanála a fháil mar gheall ar an bóthar N56. Is bóthar náisiúnta é agus tá polasaí ag TII nár chóir go mbeadh cead pleanála tugtha d’aon duine le teach aonair a thógáil atá ag teacht amach ar an bhealach sin. Is fadhb mhór í sin mar téann an bóthar seo ó Bhaile Dhún na nGall fríd go dtí Tamhnach an tSalainn suas go dtí Ard an Rátha agus na Gleannta fríd an Clochán Liath agus isteach go Gaoth Daobhair, thart ar An Craoslach agus amach go Leitir Ceanainn. Is cnámh droma Dhún na nGall é. Tá go leor daoine croíbhriste nach mbeidh a gcuid páiste ábalta tithe a thógáil ar a dtalamh féin ina gcontae féin.

I am raising an issue of importance in national policy in respect of my constituency. It is an issue that we have raised on many occasions down through the years and there is huge frustration in Donegal that this issue is still not dealt with. It is the national policy which restricts the one-off building of homes accessing the N56 national secondary road.

Deputy Byrne may be aware, as Minister of State for the Gaeltacht, that this road stretches right through the heart of the Gaeltacht across a great portion of County Donegal. It stretches from Donegal town, clockwise, right through Letterkenny, and it passes through towns such as Mountcharles, Ardara and Glenties, up through Dungloe, Falcarragh, out to Dunfanaghy and Creeslough, through Kilmacrennan until it reaches Letterkenny again. It is the spine of Donegal.

The policy has caused heartache for those who wish to build on their own family lands, close to the home, close to where they grew up often in small patches of land which people have strived to maintain for years to allow their children to build homes in their own communities. Over the years, they have found it increasingly difficult to do that because of this national policy, which prevents the building of homes that lead onto the N56.

This has resulted in children of people who have contacted me not being able to return home from Australia. In particular, it has resulted in some cases of people who have gone to Australia because they cannot get build in their own county. It has resulted in huge financial issues for others because the land that they have, their family land, is sterilised for the purpose of housing and they have to fork out €50,000, €60,000 or more for a site.

Cuireann sé seo brú fosta ar cheantair Ghaeltachta. Mar a dúirt mé, is é seo an ceantar Gaeltachta is mó sa tír. Téann an bealach seo fríd an cheantar seo agus níl cead ag daoine cead pleanála a fháil fá choinne tithe aonaracha ar an bhealach seo agus cuireann sé sin brú mór ar theaghlaigh atá ag iarraidh clann a thógáil le Gaeilge sa Ghaeltacht. Tá ar chuid acu an Ghaeltacht a fhágáil.

As the Minister of State will be aware, the reducing of speed limits across the N56 was announced recently in legislation. All secondary roads will see the speed limits reduced. This potentially has the possibility to open the door for this national policy to be reviewed, especially in light of the impact that it is having in Donegal. Housing being permitted on an appropriate and limited basis on adjacent roads to the N56 should be permitted now. Cars going slower along these roads make them safer and allow appropriate houses to be built on adjacent roads. I am asking the Minister of State to engage with Transport Infrastructure Ireland and ask it to have this policy reviewed considering the impact it is having on Donegal.

The issue of planning stands on its own two feet. This is not an issue of planning. The Donegal County Council planners, in the main, on many of these occasions have no issue with the houses being built there. The roads section of the county look at the braking distance and the vision lines and those are also being satisfied, but there is a blanket policy within TII which basically says that if you are on the N56 or, indeed, if you are coming out onto the N56, you are not getting planning. It is heartbreaking. It needs to stop. It needs to change and I believe the change in policy, in terms of speed limits, gives us that opportunity to do so.

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