Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I am speaking about County Galway. One cannot refuse permission to people because they live in or near a heritage town. The Minister touched on these issues earlier. The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, Deputy Ó Cuív, spoke of the environs of protected structures, aspects of heritage, natural habitats and SACs. They are important issues which need to be considered.

The Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs also spoke of people having links to rural areas. This issue has also caused some difficulty in the past. People living outside an area, even though they were working there, had difficulty obtaining planning. That situation has been improved by county development plans. The Minister pointed out that people with links other than being natives will be dealt with under new guidelines. Many of the comments about people being blow-ins are totally unfair. There must be discussions at an early stage between applicants and planners to tease out any difficulties that may arise. There is enormous interest in this matter and we need more planners. Galway, the second largest county, is receiving more applications than other counties.

Councils state they are granting permission in more than 80% of the applications they receive. Many applications, withdrawn and resubmitted six or seven times with different proposals, are often refused. It is important discussions take place at an early stage. We should also look seriously at the refusal by An Bord Pleanála of many applications, an issue to which Senator Bannon referred. The real problem arises in the context of refusals at An Bord Pleanála level.

I would like now to refer to the draft guidelines in the context of the national spatial strategy. Many of the problems arise in structurally weak and predominantly dispersed settlements in Galway and, indeed, in Longford. I am delighted the Minister is attempting to deal with this issue. Athenry is a heritage town. Many people——