Results 2,861-2,880 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Reynolds. To be clear, I think it is the view of all the members of the committee that there should be no reduction in any standards concerning fire safety or accessibility in protected structures or in the planning guidelines in that regard. What is being considered is a way of making that process easier, because we must use every administrative tool available to us now, not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: To clarify the question a bit, the building regulations set out what is exempt in planning. Generally, it concerns domestic buildings and endeavours such as extensions, in the context of a first floor, second floor or whatever square metres. Where a commercial premises, such as a shop, is going to be converted in a town centre, however, is it intended that planning exemptions will be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: Those kinds of projects can have a significant impact on streetscapes and on street usage. Where is the guidance to be found on what will be expected from an exempted development for the conversion of a commercial premises to residential use?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: Okay. Is that something we need to look at? I am thinking about heritage streets especially. They may not be in architectural conservation areas or they may not be heritage or protected buildings, but there is still a certain streetscape there that should be protected in some way.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Mr. Hogan. If somebody is going to carry out a development they consider to be exempt, do they have to seek clarification as to whether it is exempt?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: Thanks. I will have to look a little closer at that. I have a question on spatial planning. Is the design manual for urban roads and streets suitable and appropriate where we are trying to bring town centre living back into place? Are there changes the witnesses would suggest to that? Ms Vallone might wish to comment on that as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: When the Department issues the call for the urban regeneration fund or town and village funds, there is often a timeline on it and it can put the local district engineer or architect under time pressure. It would be better if they had a shelf of projects ready to pick off, already designed and ready to go, so when the funding is announced, they can choose whatever project they have brought...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: I agree with the Deputy. We have almost reached the end of the session and there are only a couple of minutes left. I want to offer a minute or two to all the witnesses if they wish to put their strongest recommendation to us.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: Thank you, Mr. Reynolds. Does somebody from the Department wish to sum up? I do not want to put the witnesses on the spot and ask them to advise us as to what to do.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Urban Regeneration: Discussion (Resumed) (25 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Ms Graham, Mr. Hogan and Mr. O'Sullivan for their attendance. This has been the third meeting on this topic. The committee will now try to put together a report on the matter. We have had a fascinating nine hours of discussion with a broad range of experts. I studied planning years ago, like many people here, and living over the shops was talked about in the 1990s and the 2000s,...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Services (27 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: 62. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the delay in processing passport applications for first-time passports for children and new citizens; the steps his Department is taking to alleviate this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3909/22]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Investment Framework for Transport in Ireland: Discussion (26 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank the Minister's officials for the briefing yesterday on NIFTI. It was very clear and concise and explained to a lot of people what NIFTI does and does not do. My understanding is that it does not choose projects, but it was described as a lens through which to assess a project and how it fits with national strategic objectives in terms of planning and other infrastructure. It is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Monuments and Archaeological Heritage Bill: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (27 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: I welcome everyone to the committee. Today we begin pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the monuments and archaeological heritage Bill. We are joined by the Minister of State at the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Noonan, who I welcome. He is accompanied by officials from the National Monuments Service: Ms Emer Connolly, director; Mr. Michael...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Monuments and Archaeological Heritage Bill: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (27 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: I will be happy to do that. There is absolutely no problem. For the meeting today I ask that we concentrate on the pre-legislative scrutiny and the general scheme of the Bill before us. Members can use examples to highlight something in the general scheme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Monuments and Archaeological Heritage Bill: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (27 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: The Deputy asked how the Book of Kells is classified.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Monuments and Archaeological Heritage Bill: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (27 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: We will move to the Fine Gael slot.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Monuments and Archaeological Heritage Bill: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (27 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: I thank Senator Seery Kearney. She has raised an interesting point. If the site has a requirement for an environmental impact assessment, EIA, it might trigger some kind of archaeological or cultural assessment. If a site does not have such a requirement, what triggers the EIA? It may not be there. We may have sites which depend on the guy with the JCB identifying that they are of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Monuments and Archaeological Heritage Bill: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (27 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: I will move to the Green Party slot, which I will take. This is welcome legislation for the reasons the Minister of State outlined in his opening statement. It will replace, or tidy up, the 1930s legislation. The committee recently dealt with other 1930s legislation, which was the Foreshore Act 1933, where the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 was brought in. The new Act is fit for purpose,...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Monuments and Archaeological Heritage Bill: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (27 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: There was mention of wrecks and ship wrecks. The national marine planning framework mapped the shipwrecks around the coast. Is that information drawn from National Monuments Service sources or from somewhere else that requires the service to pull that into the database now?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Monuments and Archaeological Heritage Bill: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (27 Jan 2022)

Steven Matthews: Is there mention of classes of sites of archaeological interest? With our protected structures category, it is either protected or it is not. In the UK they have a different grading of protected or listed structures. Is it proposed that we would have classes of archaeological sites that would have different levels of protection or different works that might be carried out on them or close by?