Frank Feighan (Fine Gael)

County councillors have worked with planners, the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and county managers. In County Roscommon, they drew up a county development plan over two years. Councillors cannot be accused of not having participated in county development plans over the past five years. Neither can they be accused of having had no input. Councillors are elected by the people and I welcome their participation in county development plans. Senator White may not have meant to imply otherwise, but I wish to clarify that point for the record.

I am delighted by the new rural housing guidelines. In the past, many houses were closed up when people emigrated, so it is great to see people coming back to live in rural Ireland. I grew up over a shop and was not fully aware then how handy it was to have access to such facilities. When people move from urban to rural areas they often miss such facilities being close at hand. Planners sometimes regard a street as a place with footpaths and lights but in rural areas many farmers regard the road outside their farmhouses as a street.

While some guidelines are necessary, it is good to see that those pertaining to rural housing are being relaxed. Roscommon is a rural county where councillors have worked closely with planners, the county manager and the county engineer to draw up a sympathetic development plan for rural housing.

I do not intend this point to be taken as a serious criticism of the Minister, but the introduction of rural housing guidelines may undo some of the hard work we have done over the years in County Roscommon. In north Roscommon the Lough Key development plan was handled sensitively but it was very restrictive. We sought submissions over three years when planning to change that plan. It was the first time we had changed it in 20 years. County councillors worked to ensure that the baby was not thrown out with the bathwater. We did not try to loosen the conservation guidelines, but we did make the area more open to sustainable housing development, which is what we need. Nonetheless, I am concerned that the new housing guidelines may help counties such as Kildare, Meath and Wicklow — the Minister's own constituency — where it is difficult to obtain planning. In counties such as Roscommon, Leitrim and Offaly, however, the guidelines may be more restrictive than elsewhere. I am somewhat concerned they might overrule our development plans.

We would all prefer if site distance were not an issue, but it is. People must comply with site distance regulations in the interests of road safety. In one area, people sought access to a national road from houses which were in a cul de sac. There were many serious accidents in that area because the residents were playing Russian roulette when leaving their homes. It was a numbers game and they were bound to be affected at some stage. I agree, therefore, with the planning authorities that site distance is a vital element in housing developments. It is in the interests of people living in such areas. Applicants should seek pre-planning meetings with planners in order to ease confusion and iron out difficulties.

I am disappointed it has taken so long to produce the new rural housing guidelines. I am not sure the phenomenal level of building in rural areas in the past five or six years is sustainable. My concern, therefore, is that the guidelines shut the door after the horse has bolted. Nevertheless, I welcome them and hope they will be put to good use.