Results 2,421-2,440 of 7,432 for speaker:Cian O'Callaghan

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: On public consultation, public notices and public display periods, there is often a huge gap between the view of those who run consultations regarding how inclusive those consultations are and the view of the public. People running consultations will often feel they are doing a great job in making information available but the general public will have a very different experience. The public...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: They do. I have heard it recently – obviously, it is an exaggeration – with regard to their experience of public consultation and displays.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: No. I will not give it. We are not on section 42 of the Bill; we are on section 16. My issue with the wording of section 16 is that it is the Office of the Planning Regulator, the regional assembly and the planning authority that decide what is considered reasonable. It is not decided in legislation. Through our amendment, we are trying to put some shape on this. Where there is good...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I am always as brief as possible.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Where I get feedback about the timeframes being insufficient is on the complex and technical information. I have received that feedback quite a bit. Where a period for a regular amount of consultation or notice might suffice, when you are dealing with something much more complex, people really struggled. We have to bear in mind that there are a few weeks for people to even become aware of...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I support amendment No. 422. I make a similar point, that the change in this Bill is a serious weakening. As Deputy Matthews said, these are established rights of way. It is not about creating new ones or anything like that. The current obligation under the legislation is for these to be marked out in the development plan maps. It is a "shall". We have gone from that to "may". What we...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I move amendment No. 126: In page 59, between lines 38 and 39, to insert the following: “(2) In considering what constitutes a “reasonable” period, the requirement shall be to provide for a period consistent with affording the public an opportunity to effectively participate, bearing in mind the volume and technical complexity of the materials involved, and that...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The amendment is to change the structure of how this is worded, which is: (a) securing national and regional development strategies, including maximising the potential of the regions; (b) supporting proper planning and sustainable development in urban and rural areas; We propose a wording whereby proper planning and sustainable development runs through (a) and (b): (a) Securing...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I strongly support maximising the potential of the regions once it is closely aligned with proper planning and sustainable development. I am concerned with the current wording, in subparagraph (a), where "including maximising the potential of the regions" is there without being linked, in subparagraph (a), with "proper planning and sustainable development". We have sustainable development...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: My concern is also the way it is drafted. Section 19(2) begins: “The National Planning Framework shall contain a statement setting out the Government’s broad national plan in relation to the strategic planning and sustainable development of the State .. securing national and regional development strategies, including maximising the potential of the regions”. That could...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I want to come in on amendment No. 662.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The way the amendment is worded is it is not an exhaustive or exclusive list, in that it provides that "such prescribed documents shall include at least information on the following" but there can of course be lots of more information sought and lots more prescribed documents. It is just to make sure these things are not missed and the amendment is worded that way. We had a very good...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Amendment No. 553 means that rather than co-ordinated area plans happening within one year of a development plan being passed, there will be a five-year window. That is a significant change in timeframes. I appreciate that there are resource and capacity issues involved but five years, potentially, for a co-ordinated area plan is a long period after a development plan is passed. It is half...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I will not because it is too long.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I want to say-----

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I was concerned about amendment No. 662, so I am glad that will be withdrawn. That wording in the Bill is important and I am glad it will remain. As for amendment No. 689, I will need to look at it but I have not raised anything in respect of it.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: No, I have no issues with it.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: Amendment No. 131 is about inserting climate targets into the Bill to make sure that meeting climate targets are part of the objectives of the national planning framework. We had some discussion earlier that is relevant to this. In my view, it is just not sufficient to have these targets in other legislation. They have to be a core part of what is being done in the national planning...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: I will first deal with amendment No. 131 on the national planning framework and I will then move on to amendment No. 366. The Minister of State said there is merit in what we are saying, it will be looked at for Report Stage and there will be a thorough review to make sure the legislation covers this. However, he is also indicating that he thinks the Bill covers this. It is unclear.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development Bill 2023: Committee Stage (Resumed) (29 Feb 2024)

Cian O'Callaghan: The wording proposed is that rather than section 19(2)(c) referring to “supporting the circular economy (within the meaning of section 6 of the Circular Economy and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2022)”-----