Results 1,781-1,800 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry to interrupt but the six minutes for this slot have elapsed. We may be able to raise this matter with the CCMA when its representatives appear before us on Thursday. I ask Mr. Hogan to supply a written response to Deputy Ó Broin's other questions. The Deputy may get another opportunity to speak towards the end of the meeting if there is time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Deputy Higgins for sticking to the time limit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: Sorry, Mr. Hogan; I have to interrupt you there. We have to move on to the next slot. My apologies.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: There is a minute left in that slot. If the Deputy does not mind, I will expand on what he has said. There is a significant difference with regard to councillors being briefed and making comment on a planning application for an SHD which will be decided by another entity, namely, An Bord Pleanála, and on which the chief executive makes a submission. There is a difference between...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: You have 20 seconds.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: The next speaker is Deputy Cian O'Callaghan.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: I am going to move on to the second Fine Gael slot.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: We might discuss the Part V stuff if we have time at the end but I would like to stick to the proposed LSRD Bill for the moment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: I will take the Green Party's second slot. Why do we need a fast-track planning system? Pre-SHD, planning applications concerning approximately 80,000 or 90,000 units were being dealt with. Fast-tracking planning does not guarantee that anything will be built. For too long, planning has been a whipping boy for why development does not take place. I am interested in why we need a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: I will come in on the issue of the pre-application stage, the documentation that will be made available to the planning authority and this limitation on further information requests. It needs to be made very clear and imperative to developers that they bring in high-quality documentation and environmental impact assessments, that they comply with every aspect of planning requirements at the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: The opening statement, which I cannot find at the moment, lists who was part of the consultative forum. Was anybody with expertise in European planning law, or environmental planning law, part of that consultative forum?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thought it would have been beneficial because we have had so many judicial reviews that have been based on environmental planning law or EU environmental law and considering that SHDs have created so many judicial reviews. I thought that would have been appropriate.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: I get Mr. Hogan's point that this is a planning process and is not necessarily to do with environmental planning law. However, one of the complaints about SHDs is that so many judicial reviews have been brought that I would have thought it might have been informative to state the quality of documentation and things that need to be addressed in the pre-planning application process to hone...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: I thank Senator Fitzpatrick. I agree with her. It was a very good opportunity for the public to attend and, when the meetings were in person, to look at the presentation of it. I will now go to the third Fine Gael slot and then to the open round, in which Deputy Ó Broin has indicated and I wish to take a second slot. If members want a third round, they can put their hand up now. Do...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: Does Mr. Hogan wish to respond to that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: We are into the third round of questions now; we have covered all the members. Deputy Ó Broin had his hand up first and I will take a slot after him. The Deputy can go ahead. I see Senator Boyhan has also indicated.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: There is only myself and Senator Boyhan left so you have another minute.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: We are almost up to eight minutes, Deputy Ó Broin. I have to move on. I have a question in this open round. There are time limits on the pre-application process. The local authority has to agree to a meeting within four weeks of a request and then issue the decision, or its opinion, within four weeks, I think, of that final meeting. Is that so? Is the entire pre-application...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: That will be-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development (Amendment) (LSRD) Bill 2021: Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage (7 Sep 2021)

Steven Matthews: Go ahead.