Results 12,421-12,440 of 25,880 for speaker:Darragh O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, and Local Government: Wastewater Treatment (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: The Programme for Government commits to funding Irish Water's capital investment plan for water infrastructure on a multi-annual basis. The National Development Plan 2021-2030 commits to almost €6 billion capital investment by Irish Water in the period 2021-2025, of which over €4.5 billion will be Voted Exchequer funding in respect of domestic water services. ...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputies for tabling the amendments. As I did not get an opportunity to respond to the Second Stage debate on the Bill in the Dáil due to the time having elapsed, I want to put what we are doing here in context. I welcome the broad agreement on the legislation. It will reinstate the two-stage planning process and put planning decisions back in the hands of the local...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: On what will be done before Report Stage, much of what the Deputies are looking for is in the various sections of the Bill already. I fully support and want public involvement in our planning system. That is why I am bringing SHDs to an end early and why I want to do that. We will tease out this issue a bit further. It is up to the Deputy whether he presses the amendment, and I fully...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: We are taking feedback from the Local Government Management Agency, LGMA, and other bodies, on this matter. One of the big challenges we have concerns brownfield urban development sites. It has been said to us clearly that the 15% limitation in this regard was restrictive. We are looking at some larger developments which we want to have that desired mix of crèches, shops, launderettes...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I am sorry, yes, I would vary it.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: We are, however, setting out what the maximum other use percentage would be.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Yes.

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: What we are doing is future-proofing it. I do not see the development plans that are being put together now right across the country and the mix within different zones, be that major town centre zones or mixed use zones, which is a matter for the local authorities, being in conflict. This relates to future applications through the LRD process. We would be saying that, at maximum, 30% of a...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I thank the Deputies for the amendments. We discussed this issue at some length on Second Stage. There was a great level of discussion on it in the Seanad as well. Amendments Nos. 3, 9 and 37 relate to the issue of material contraventions of a local development plan. Again, the purpose of this legislation is to bring planning back to have regard to the development plans. The making of...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: Colleagues will know this but it is important to reiterate that this relates to the application going to the local planning authority. Anyone can make an application for anything. Our process will involve a pre-application stage. Applicants coming in will have to go through the pre-application stage. A local authority may point out a contravention of the development plan in the...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I appreciate that and we will have a further look at it. I take the points the Deputies made. I firmly believe the reality of bringing forward this process will both reduce the volume of judicial reviews residents have felt they have had to take because they had no other option, given they were not a part of the normal two-stage planning process, and ensure that where applications are made...

Select Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: Planning and Development (Amendment) (Large-scale Residential Development) Bill 2021: Committee Stage (1 Dec 2021)

Darragh O'Brien: I could not have put it better than Deputy McAuliffe. Let us take a small step back. What we have done as a Government so far - in fairness, with the co-operation of the Opposition in support of most of these measures - is ban co-living. We are getting rid of SHDs and restoring planning to local level and rightly so. We are restoring local democracy according to commitments we made in the...