Paul Bradford (Fine Gael)

I join the majority of my colleagues in welcoming this legislation. I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I hope the Bill will be debated in a very full fashion here. Traditionally in Seanad Éireann, we give legislation balanced and reflective analysis and I hope that will also be the case with this debate. In his initial comments the Minister of State said it will be one of the most important Bills he will bring forward on behalf of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government and I agree with him in that regard.

The word that is most appropriate to the legislation and our consideration of it is "balance". It is a question of getting the balance right between the urgent, ongoing need for development and the requirements of environmental propriety, sustainability and ensuring the public has its say. I hope the Minister of State is getting the balance right here. We will be in a position to reflect on that more carefully on Committee Stage.

The country has seen enormous development over the past 30 years. We simply cannot say "Stop"; we must keep advancing. If we stand still all the progress we have achieved will be lost. Infrastructural progress, whether it is an air or sea port or a road, has been painfully slow. Traditionally, we have not been good at initiating and completing projects in a manner that has resulted in speedy progress. For example, the Cork-Mallow road runs for approximately 20 miles. For half a century, there was a demand that the road be rebuilt or widened and improved. I was taken by school bus on the first stretch of the improved road when I was doing my intermediate certificate. By the time that little 20 mile road project was completed, I had been elected to Cork County Council, Seanad Éireann and Dáil Éireann on two occasions. That was how long this mini-project took. The country cannot expand and develop as it must if it takes ten to 15 years to plan, prepare, fund and develop a 20 mile stretch of road. That example is replicated across Ireland.

We must ensure the infrastructural progress we require is made quickly and whatever bottlenecks are removed. It goes back to the question of balance. If people feel the need to object to a project or they have genuine concerns, we must ensure there is a forum for their concerns to be addressed. Side by side with that, we must keep the idea of infrastructural progress and development firmly in our minds.

In the emerging large economies of China and India, the rate of infrastructural development is notable. Those economies have a lack of a planning system that we could not accept. I recall a major player in the Glen Dimplex company talking about how road projects are developed in China. Entire towns and communities are moved almost overnight if they are in the way of a new road or infrastructural development. We cannot support such an approach. We must ensure, however, where major infrastructural projects are required that we listen to concerns but adjudicate on them quickly.

It must be possible to adjudicate on concerns over pollution, large traffic volumes or that communities could be devastated or even nominally affected by a planned infrastructural project in weeks and months rather than the current system of years. I would welcome such an outcome from the Bill. Across the country, delays have been the common denominator in the provision of major road projects, motorways, airports and landfill sites.

A landfill site for Cork County is located in my parish. It is a development that was neither welcomed nor wanted by the parishioners. What is in place was announced seven years ago. It then took five to six years to go through the planning process. It would have been to the advantage of everyone concerned if the serious fears and concerns were addressed in a shorter timescale. I hope the legislation will achieve that. Balance must come to the fore.

I noted the Minister's point on staffing. It is vital and if the board is to work well, it must have sufficient resources. In local authorities, due to the lack of sufficient staff numbers, there is no guarantee that the most minor planning application, say a small extension to a side of a house, can come through the process in the prescribed three month timescale. If it goes to the next rung on the planning process ladder at An Bord Pleanála, it is the norm that a decision will not be made within four months due to the lack of staff. If the proposed board is to work, it is vital that staffing resources are put in place to ensure decisions are made in the appropriate timeframe.

Strategic infrastructure must be considered in the context of the country's ongoing and increasing economic development. However, the other side of the equation, such as communities that will be most affected by an infrastructural project, must also be considered. The landfill site in my parish, from a Cork county point of view was necessary, but from the parish's point of view it was a threat and a concern. We must strike a correct balance in an open democratic fashion but also in a way that does not have an endless list of deadlines. We must be precise. If the correct answer is "Yes", it should be possible to determine that answer within a reasonable timeframe. It should be similarly the case, if the correct answer is "No". Drawing out a community and a developer is a recipe for misery for all concerned. Targets must not only be published but met.

I welcome the Minister's proposed amendment to section 35 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. It will enable a planning authority to refuse permission to a rogue developer on a past history of non-compliance with planning regulations. The amendment will be fully supported by the House. Across the country communities have had difficulties with certain developers. The same developers often come forward with a new project, promising they have changed their ways. Often communities suffer once again because a planning authority cannot take into account the past lack of performance on a developer's part. I welcome the commonsense change under section 9. Although it should have been in place before, hopefully, it will be of assistance to communities and individuals.

I cautiously welcome the Bill. On Committee Stage we will consider in more detail how to ensure general, community and environmental concerns are addressed. The bigger picture must be kept centre stage. If Ireland is to develop further, maintain its economic strength and meet the challenges from emerging economies, our infrastructure must be improved as quickly as possible in a planned, environmentally-friendly fashion. This legislation can play a key role in that respect. I look forward to hearing all sides of the argument and in particular the Minister's contribution on Committee Stage. I hope we will ensure that when the Bill is finally passed it will strike the important correct balance.