Maeve O'Connell (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)

I welcome the opportunity to make a statement on housing, which every representative in the House knows is the most important issue facing families in our country today. I was delighted with the news last week in my constituency, Dublin Rathdown, that an agreement had been reached with the Land Development Agency for the transfer of 17 acres, giving the Government the ability to develop 800 new homes on the site. This land was identified under the Government's Housing for All plan and shows that real progress is being made. I also commend the foresight used in selecting the location. Every new housing development must take into account the need to deliver additional services to ensure residents are well supported. This site located right by the currently unused Leopardstown Luas station, meaning this development will activate existing infrastructure and residents will have access to efficient public transportation from the get-go. Such a large development will of course have a huge impact on the local community. That is why it is important the LDA and local councils work with local communities to ensure the best outcomes for everybody so that we can deliver the greatest number of houses possible, of benefit to everybody in the community, with the least amount of disruption. That is why I am also glad to see confirmation that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council will create a new master plan for Leopardstown. We all understand housing delivery must have an all-of-government approach. Many Deputies highlighted the issues in that regard. We cannot focus on one section and expect everything else to fall into place. This is why master plans are vital. Taking this Leopardstown area as an example, for those not familiar with the area, it skirts right along the edge of the M50, with the Leopardstown Road being a main distributor road off junction 14 and linking to the N11, so 800 new houses could bring 800 new cars. With the readily available local public transport infrastructure already in place, this project will keep Dublin moving, not clog it up. Public transport infrastructure alone is not enough. We face a problem where planning applications are held up for too long by objections and judicial reviews which the Government is taking strong action to address. Stopping the clock on permissions held up by judicial reviews will be an important lifeline for keeping developments alive which our country would otherwise have lost, an important measure to ensure we do indeed have housing for all.

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