Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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I am raising this issue in relation to the situation in Clongriffin and Belmayne. It is a very large community. The start of development there happened about 20 years ago. Many people moved in there then and started out in their lives. They did not have families at that stage. Since then, they have formed families. Children have been born, grown up and become young adults. Over this time, there has been a huge deficit in the community infrastructure very necessary in any area to ensure it thrives and not just housing. Even though it was initially developed 20 years ago, there was stop-and-start development with the crash. There has been a lot more development in recent years and it is coming close now to being completed, and will be completed over the next number of years.

This is an area with a population of almost 14,000 people. There are 7,600 homes in the current pipeline too, so the population is going to increase significantly. We are talking about the size of a significant town and yet that really important community infrastructure is missing and there is this deficit. I acknowledge that Dublin City Council has recently set up a project office to help bring the area to completion in respect of the facilities needed. These include a new library, indoor sports facilities, community and cultural facilities, a new Garda station, a HSE primary care centre, more sports pitches and all the things to make a decent-sized town thrive. DCC has committed €13 million to ensure there is the necessary completion for the area and that the community infrastructure, which is so important, is also delivered. However, it cannot be delivered by Dublin City Council on its own. A contribution from the Government is needed as well. DCC submitted a very good proposal to the national development plan, which was supported by the local community, local community organisations and local community public representatives, including my constituency colleagues and me. If there is going to be completion in the area and a cohesive community, it is crucial that we get the investment input in the context of the national development plan as well. This is absolutely crucial.

What we are asking as a cross-party group of constituency TDs - this Topical Issue matter was submitted by a couple of my colleagues too, Deputies Naoise Ó Muirí and Barry Heneghan - is that the Government look at this very seriously and make a contribution. We are noting that the area did not get a lot of the development levies planned and envisaged for the area because of changes that happened concerning some of the housing provided, which meant development levies were therefore not required. I am not talking about the recent waiver scheme but about other aspects that had substitute revenues coming from central Government. There was a lot of housing without development levies at all. There is, then, this deficit in funding for infrastructure. I ask the Minister of State to look at this matter urgently. There must be a significant contribution in this regard from the central Government in the national development plan. It is critical we invest in infrastructural and housing, but we must also invest in sustainable, cohesive communities.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. I note he is raising it in conjunction with his two colleagues, who, unfortunately, are not here to partake. I recall that my Fianna Fáil colleague, the other TD in the area, Tom Brabazon, raised this issue at a Fianna Fáil party meeting recently when we were discussing the whole area of sustainable communities.

In the first instance it should be noted that the provision of amenities and services is a core element of the statutory plan-making process by local authorities and is key to promoting the development of balanced and sustainable communities. Section 10 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 requires planning authorities to include objectives in their development plan to integrate social, community and cultural objectives with planning for residential and other development. The section further provides that objectives must also be included for the preservation, improvement and extension of amenities and recreational amenities. In practice, planning authorities comply with these requirements through the inclusion in their plan of relevant objectives, policy support and development management standards for such amenities and services, including within new residential developments, as well as identifying suitable locations for such facilities on a stand-alone basis through the zoning of land for recreation, social and community uses.

The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has provided formal guidance to planning authorities on the preparation of development plans, including on the provision of accompanying amenities for new communities, through the Development Plans - Guidelines for Planning Authorities 2022. These guidelines were issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 and planning authorities are required to have regard to them in the performance of their functions. As noted in these guidelines, the implementation of the development plan is a key strategic focus for the relevant local authorities, Dublin City Council and Fingal County Council in this instance, and they must use their wide range of functions in housing, transport, amenities development and infrastructural delivery to achieve the objectives of the plan, including in relation to the provision of amenities.

The making of a development plan is a reserved function of the elected members of each planning authority. A planning authority or An Coimisiún Pleanála may also attach a condition to a grant of planning permission requiring the payment of a contribution in respect of public infrastructure and facilities that it is intended will be provided by or on behalf of a local authority. This may include open spaces and recreational and community facilities. The basis for such contributions is set out in a development contribution scheme as adopted by the elected members.

In addition, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage provides funding to local authorities through the €2 billion Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, URDF, which is supporting a programme of significant transformational capital projects that will contribute to the regeneration and rejuvenation of Ireland's cities and other large towns, in line with the objectives of the national planning framework and the national development plan.

The Belmayne and Clongriffin areas were provided with funding through the Department's Local Infrastructure Housing Activation Fund, LIHAF, for improved local road access, pedestrian facilities and access to public transport in the area, including Clongriffin train station.

It is noted that, under section 213 of the Planning Act, a local authority is empowered, for the purposes of performing any of its functions, including giving effect to, or facilitating the implementation of, its development plan, to acquire land, permanently or temporarily, by agreement or compulsorily.

In accordance with section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001, local authorities are independent in the performance of their functions and the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage has no role in relation to the planning or provision of amenities and services in individual local authority areas.

Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister of State for the response. I acknowledge that Deputy Denise Mitchell has been very supportive, along with the other TDs for this area and all the public representatives from all parties, in supporting the local communities on this. I know the Minister of State has not written his response but there are a few things in it that are factually wrong. Neither Clongriffin nor Belmayne, or any part of them, is in the Fingal County Council area. They are entirely in Dublin City Council. I know the Minister of State does not know this but it is disappointing that the Department, in writing this answer, does not know this.

Second, it is factually wrong to talk about the LIHAF funding providing access to Clongriffin train-DART station because that LIHAF funding was provided for access. That funding was never drawn down, but it was provided for access in the Baldoyle area, which is in Fingal County Council, and which, also, is not in Clongriffin or Belmayne. It is disappointing that the Department, in writing this response, could not get its facts right.

Third, on the Urban Regeneration and Development Fund, there was an application to Dublin City Council for funding from that but it was rejected and no funding was received. That also was a disappointment for the area.

Fourth, to reiterate, the reason there is a particular deficit in community infrastructure here is not because the local authority has not been following the steps set out in the reply. It is because Government was not providing a sufficient amount of social housing in other areas and a lot of housing here was then provided, which was not initially planned, and for which there were no development levies. While the area was planned to have development levies to pay for community infrastructure, due to Government policy a lot of that housing came without any development levies. The problem with that is that it still needs infrastructure. Social housing still needs infrastructure. If you are going to get social housing, which is desperately needed, it has to come with infrastructure and community facilities. To be fair to Dublin City Council, it is trying to fix this. They are putting in €13 million but Government has got to do a bit of the lifting here as well.

Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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As I stated at the outset, the provision of amenities and services is a core element of the plan-making process and is key to promoting the development of balanced and sustainable communities.

Section 10 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 sets out mandatory objectives which must be addressed by local authorities in their development plan, including objectives for the integration of the planning and sustainable development of the area with the social, community and cultural requirements of the area and its population. The Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has supported the local communities in this planning function through the publication of ministerial guidelines, including Development Plans - Guidelines for Planning Authorities in 2022, providing for a strategic approach to the implementation of new development with a wide range of amenities and supporting community and social infrastructure critical to planning and sustainable communities.

Implementation and delivery of the provision of necessary amenities for new residential areas is a key responsibility of local authorities working in tandem with developers, infrastructure providers, Government agencies and others to ensure the sustainable development and quality of environment of such areas for new residents.

I will take on board the factual inaccuracies the Deputy said were presented and I will communicate them back.