Jim Walsh (Fianna Fail)

About a year ago Senator Mary White raised the issue of the demise of various petrol filling stations around the city. Since then we have also seen the demise of many important landmark hotels in the capital city. I have concerns that the planning process is now developer-led. The Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government recently published planning guidelines, which include welcome aspects such as the requirement to include transport, schools and community facilities in the consideration of planning applications. However, I am strongly at variance with the continuing mantra from the Department of the need for high-density development. The current proposals are for 50 dwellings per ha., which equates to 20 residential units per acre. There may be some argument in support of this for cities such as Dublin. However, in provincial Ireland this will give rise to serious problems down the line. Rather than increasing densities, we should be reducing them. I recently spoke to planners in my own county who favour a density of eight to ten dwellings per acre, which was the case 20 or 30 years ago. Unless we move back to this plan-led approach, we will create a severe social cost for future generations, which I do not support.

I support the call by Senator Déirdre de Búrca for a debate on Kosovo. Her argument for this was well articulated. The question of whether to support the independence of Kosovo is not cut and dried, and it warrants a debate in order that all sides of the argument are fully presented and considered.