Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

I join Senators Jim Walsh and Glynn in calling for a debate on the planning process. I would like this to include the development of apartments. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government issued guidelines a couple of years ago seeking higher densities. The developers pursued that with a vengeance and have been building apartments all over the place, even in villages, where they are not in keeping with the local character. There was a plan to issue guidelines on the quality of design but I am not sure that ever came to fruition.

One would not want to spend one's life in many of these apartments. I live in a house which my parents bought approximately 30 years ago and which has stood the test of time. That may not be so of many of the apartments being build now. We need to review this issue.

Taking into account Senator Jim Walsh's comments on inappropriate submissions, the public should not have to pay a fee to make submissions on planning applications. That has affected public representatives, councillors, Deputies and Senators who must pay if they want to act on behalf of local residents. Public representatives can neither pick and choose planning applications to challenge nor pay hundreds of euro to challenge all applications. The EU has criticised this fee and it should be abolished.