Gillian Toole (Meath East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

It is of the highest priority to adhere to the national planning framework policies, in particular in terms of brownfield first. In my area of Meath East, in the Ratoath, Dunshaughlin and Ashbourne areas, there has been an omission of brownfield. I understand the complexity of the delivery of infrastructure, but in one situation we have an actual creep of the town centre. An OSI reference for the town centre of Ratoath seems to have moved in a south-east direction. That is something I have taken up with Tailte Éireann.

The Minister alluded previously to the land usage report. It must be prioritised, in particular for a county like Meath. We have a high volume of solar farm applications and a legacy demand from Celtic tiger times of social amenity, housing demand and, again, a legacy of infrastructure first. It would be most welcome for the land use report to be prioritised and linked in with the Housing Commission report. That is a necessity.

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