Results 5,381-5,400 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: A very strong point was made that unincorporated associations have existed in many forms, for example the GAA was listed and voluntary sports clubs and so on. I am not sure that it is even necessary to put the three names on it, but if it was a requirement, the term "legal personality" was used, not in relation to an observation or a submission, that was in regard to a judicial review, but I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: In Mr. Heneghan's experience, why do people worry about putting their names on planning observations?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: That would probably be fuelled by the narrative that we see out there such as the phrases "not in my back yard, NIMBY," and the phrase "residents are blocking everything and object to everything". In fact, a submission or an observation is merely that, an observation on a planning application. An observation cannot stop a planning application. A person can go to the board or go to judicial...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Then there is the difficulty of collecting the 100 names and some people will not be contactable, they are away and there is a timeline on it, or they just do not want to be in the spotlight. Using the names of the chair, the secretary and the treasurer might overcome that difficulty.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: I have never put in a planning submission as part of a residents' association because I am not in one, but it is also my experience that some people feel slightly intimidated and do not want to be seen making trouble. It is your right; it is your area. You should have an input, as you do through electing councillors who craft the plan on which the decisions are made, and the ability to make...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: The other side of that question is, how do you ensure it is representative? I have been to public meetings before which were attended by residents of an area about something like trying to build a pedestrian permeability link to estates for easier access and walking to school, etc. The general tone in the room is, we do not want this, absolutely no way. That would be the general tone in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: I will move on. I do not know whether Deputy McAuliffe is online or in the Chamber. I can skip over him and bring him in next. That would make the next slot the second Green Party slot. We spoke much about the conflict in planning, where we have objections to what is proposed or applied for. Ms Foster said that there is no consultation with residents and the developers seem to get a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Is it like strategic development zones, where one knew what they were, within reason?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: As a matter of interest, does the Netherlands have the third-party appeals process and then observations and appeals?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: That will bring certainty to everybody in the process, the residents, the applicants, and the developers. Does Mr. Mandal want to come in?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Deputy Ó Broin raised this in one of the previous sessions with the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, RIAI, and they talked about 3D. A lot of people will look at a development plan map and cannot picture in their mind what a purple, yellow or pink zone is, or what 20 or 40 to the hectare might mean. People cannot visualise that and I think that is why we then have the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: I have often heard it said that the development plan is a land use plan and not a delivery plan. There can be some confusion around that as well on submissions that I have seen where it is not really about the land use of the optimum or best way but it is about actually delivering some piece of infrastructure, which is outside the local authority's remit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Without risking a load of emails from councillors, it is councillors who make those decisions. The plans presented by the planners to the executive and they make those decisions and councillors are elected by the residents as well. I sometimes think we are in danger of undermining the democracy we do have in our planning system because of focusing on the points of conflict. I am just out...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: There is the climate challenge that presents as well I suppose.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: There is something in it but I cannot put my finger on the section right now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: For the record, we did have two of the councillor representative groups in here with the local authority executive representatives and the regional assemblies. We did try to include that part of the process. I am into the third round now. If anyone wants to come in please raise their hand.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: I believe we will have time for another run-around on this issue, when we can come back to it. I will now take the next slot and I want to go back again to this development plan because I believe this is the key to it. From my experience, one tends to have more people engaged with local area plans, LAPs, because, in the first instance, one is just in with the local councillors. For the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Planning structure has to follow the hierarchy or else you would be going off at all angles. I have heard it being described at local authority meetings as it being our plan, where we can do what we want with it. You can, to a certain extent. It is like saying this is my car and I will drive it whatever way I want. There are rules which you have to stick to.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (7 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: I think someone mentioned national planning statements from the Minister, in other words, national planning policy in the form of a statement. I think there should be scope for that and it is necessary. Would it be beneficial, in terms of democracy, if the national planning statement was put before the Oireachtas committee to debate, to examine the rationale and provide a democratic,...