Albert Dolan (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I support the Bill and I will clearly and urgently make the case as to why this legislation is not only necessary but also overdue. We are in the middle of a housing crisis that affects every community in this country. It affects urban and rural, young and old, single people, families, renters and buyers alike. At the heart of this crisis is a basic mismatch. The demand for homes is outpacing our ability to deliver them. One of the core reasons for that delay is an overly complex, inconsistent and drawn-out planning system. Time and again, housing projects, including affordable and social housing projects, are delayed by a system that is too slow, too uncertain and too exposed to procedural challenges. Our planning code has become a battleground for paperwork rather than a roadmap to progress. In recent years, major housing developments have faced delays of 18, 24 and even 36 months due to judicial reviews or planning appeals. These are homes. They are not just homes, but homes that could and should already be built. This legislation seeks to bring that kind of inertia to an end by creating a faster, more coherent and more transparent planning system and framework that gets homes built more quickly while still protecting the public's right to be consulted and the environment's right to be safeguarded.

The Bill does three key things that are especially important from the perspective of housing delivery. It provides greater certainty for applicants and communities through the provision of clear development plans and timelines. It reforms the JR process to stop serial objections, which are often made by people with no local connection and without being based on the public interest. It strengthens An Coimisiún Pleanála with a clearer mandate, a modern structure and better governance, giving it the tools to make decisions faster and more fairly. This is not about bypassing communities; this is far from that. Public engagement will still be protected but we cannot allow a system where national housing targets are frustrated by a minority who can delay and derail vital developments with no accountability. If we want to meet Housing for All targets and deliver homes for the next generation, we must reform how we plan. No amount of investment or zoning will matter if we cannot get projects off the ground due to planning gridlock.

From my own experience of having spoken to planners, developers and, most importantly, young couples and families who are desperate to find a home, I know the call is consistent. We need clarity, consistency and speed. This Bill is a step towards delivering all three. Our planning system must be a facilitator of housing rather than an obstacle to it. This Bill will not solve everything overnight but it lays a critical foundation for a planning system fit for the scale of the challenge we face. If we are serious about building homes, we must be serious about getting this Bill through.

See this speech in context