John Cummins (Waterford, Fine Gael)

It is the requirement of local authorities and the reserved function of members to decide what locations and what specific zoning objectives they determine for each land bank. They are required to include mandatory objectives regarding regeneration and to provide zoning for residential, commercial, employment and enterprise, industrial and other uses to such extent as the proper planning and sustainable development of an area requires. The Minister and I will write to the local authorities in the context of their housing growth requirements and the variation process, but we do have to respect the reserved function of local authority members in setting their development plans where they feel it is appropriate for those given uses, be they very important industrial uses, residential, commercial or other uses as they see fit.

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