Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister of State well in his new position. I welcome some of the proposed changes in the NPF review. Ultimately, the document must restore power to councils to form their own plans and address the overriding powers of Uisce Éireann, the Office of the Planning Regulator and Transport Infrastructure Ireland in dictating the development of rural constituencies. When I was a comhairleoir on my council, we had none of this. We had the National Roads Authority, NRA. As I often said, I thought we had decommissioned it but apparently it is still there. This is the problem with this document.

The Cahir local area plan is a prime example of the failings of the NPF and the heavy-handed nature of the Office of the Planning Regulator. The plan that was reviewed in 2021 - my daughter, Máirín, is on the council in that area - sought to reduce the quantum of residential zoned land from 50 acres to just 10 ha. It ignored concerns from the councillors and anybody else at the time. It was the height of stupidity. Now they want the council to rezone the land again, having admitted their mistake. Anybody would know that reducing the zoned land from 50 acres to 10 ha was way too much but they just would not listen. They were obstinate.

I have cases involving planning for rural farmers. One is on the N24, between Cahir and Tipperary, and one on the N74 on the way to Kilkenny. These farmers are living with their families and even though they have land and are farming it, they are not allowed to build a house on it because of more turning in circles. In actual fact, the opposite is the case. If they have to build elsewhere, such as a town or some place else, they have to go to and from the farm to do their work. It is patent nonsense and these bodies will not listen. We have more of these agencies that have CEOs and directors and brass plates on the walls. They are doing nothing only confusing.

They cannot go on the way they are going because they have stalled progress on housing and infrastructure with Uisce Éireann. How many villages and towns in Tipperary that are full up have no access to this? There is no funding and they have no power. We must go back and look at what happened in 2014 with the set-up of Irish Water.

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