John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

I thank the Members for giving me the opportunity to speak here tonight on a policy issue and initiative of importance to all Members of the Oireachtas and all members of our society.

The bedrock of our planning system is to aim for "proper planning and sustainable development". There is copious reference to this phrase throughout the planning legislation and it is the touchstone for the deliberations and considerations of An Bord Pleanála in all cases that come before it. "Proper planning and sustainable development" is not, therefore, a hollow or meaningless phrase. It is not an official soundbite. It has purpose, it has vision and it has legal underpinning and definition. In essence, I believe it means planning policies and decisions that are justified on the basis of good environmental, social and economic considerations, and which will stand the test of time.

Society is constantly changing and evolving. This country has undergone huge changes in a relatively short period of time in terms of our economy, our demographics and general social fabric. As policy makers, it is incumbent on us to respond to those changes with positive policies that reflect the changing circumstances. Our economic and population growth created a huge demand for housing in recent years. Our ability to meet that demand is evident in very impressive year-on-year new housing stock, with the numbers of housing units being built rising from 33,700 in 1996 to a high of 93,400 units in 2006. Despite the recent downturn in demand for and supply of new houses, our forecast is for the national population to rise to 5.3 million people by 2020, which will require an additional 700,000 new homes.

We are all familiar with examples in our cities, towns and villages of where the planning system has got it wrong, in some cases terribly wrong, in terms of what is built and where it has been built. I agree with much of what the Fine Gael Members said in their contributions as they identify real problems. This area is underpinned by legislation and this will ensure these guidelines will be adhered to. The point on the Dublin transportation authority is valid; the Green Party's participation in Government means there will be an effective Dublin transportation authority and I would like to see it further integrated.

I have visited London often and was there at the weekend when I spoke at length on this issue with Mr. Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London. He has transformed transport there and, I believe, a directly elected Lord Mayor of Dublin should be head of a transportation authority. This makes total sense because it worked in London and I see no reason it should not work here. The problem is too many different bodies in Dublin are responsible for transport. As I move on in my speech I will refer to some of the other issues raised this evening.

Instead of building sustainable communities we can justifiably be accused of building houses without the supporting infrastructure needs. This has happened in the past ten to 15 years. It is high time we used the planning system to deliver well-planned, integrated and sustainable development as the norm.

My Department's 1999 residential density guidelines have served us well but they need to be reviewed, updated and expanded to reflect where we are and where we want to be, in terms of quality residential development that will meet future challenges and help support sustainable communities in our cities, towns and villages.

On 10 February, I published the draft guidelines on sustainable residential development in urban areas for public consultation. Copies of the draft guidelines and design manual are available here tonight if Members have not already seen them. The public consultation period closes on 6 May and I would encourage all those who have a view on how our urban areas should be planned and designed to avail of this opportunity to have their voices heard.

The new guidelines aim to set out stronger planning requirements to facilitate the development of sustainable communities through strengthening planning and the provision of necessary supporting services and amenities. They seek to help achieve the most efficient use of urban land through housing densities that are appropriate to the location involved and the availability of supporting services and infrastructure, particularly transport. The guidelines aim to set high standards in terms of space and facilities to meet the needs of the Irish context.

The draft guidelines recognise that our urban areas operate at different scales. There is no place for a one-size fits all approach. For this reason, the draft guidelines separate cities and large towns from smaller towns and villages in terms of appropriate approaches to residential planning and design. Also, the draft guidelines address the issues of neighbourhood planning, that is, setting an appropriate context for the development itself, the overall development of the neighbourhood within which it is situated and the home and its setting. In essence, they look at the entire picture, from the neighbourhood to the home. The over-arching objectives should be quality and sustainability.

There is a major emphasis in the guidelines on the need for new residential developments to be supported and facilitated by the necessary supporting services and infrastructure. Crucial infrastructure such as education and health facilities, public transport, child care and community amenities are seen as being as important as the usual hard infrastructure needed like water services and road access. Also, in areas well served by public transport there is a need to consolidate growth by providing higher density development.

With the realities and impacts of climate change becoming ever more critical, and the need for improved energy conservation and a general increased awareness of our environmental responsibilities, I particularly welcome the emphasis in the draft guidelines. In this regard, I believe the guidelines strike a good balance between environmental sustainability and social and economic growth. The policies outlined are common sense in terms of looking after our environment, our health and our communities.

We should design our new residential developments where there is less need for car dependence and where we can encourage walking, cycling and use of public transport. We should design our developments with good recreation and play amenities for young and old and our homes with greater energy efficiency.

I will now address some of the main issues and recommendations in the draft guidelines. Development plans, urban local area plans and planning schemes for strategic development zones should contain policies and objectives which will underpin the creation of sustainable residential developments. They should also include clear guidance on implementation measures, particularly with regard to the phased and co-ordinated provision of physical infrastructure, public transport and community facilities. The development plan or local area plan should promote and encourage cycling and walking; encourage more efficient use of energy and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions; include the right quality and quantity of public open space; include measures to ensure satisfactory standards of personal safety and traffic safety within the neighbourhood; and protect, and where possible enhance, the built and natural heritage.

It is also vital that development plans should include urban design policies which are capable of being expanded in more detail in local area plans. Planning authorities should issue design briefs and receive design statements for particularly important, sensitive or large-scale development sites. Preplanning application discussions should be encouraged in order that there is clarity around sequencing priorities of the development plan, the vision statement for the future development of the area and phasing objectives of the local area plan, where applicable, and how they relate to the applicant's land.

The best practice urban design manual sets out 12 criteria, which should be used by local authority planners and by developers, both in pre-application consultations and in assessing individual planning applications. For example, the design of residential streets needs to strike the right balance between the different functions of the street, including a sense of place.

The draft guidelines also set clear rules and standards in planning for integrated and sustainable neighbourhoods. No substantial residential development should proceed without an assessment of existing schools capacity or the provision of new school facilities in tandem with the development. Similarly, no substantial residential development should proceed without either adequate existing public transport provision or new public transport provided in tandem with the development. There also should be adequate provision at convenient locations for retail, health and other community facilities to meet the existing and future needs of the area.

Sustainable patterns of urban development should be promoted, particularly higher residential densities in locations, which are, or will be, served by public transport. Higher densities must be accompanied in all cases by high qualitative standards of design and layout. The draft guidelines state that, in general, minimum net densities of 50 dwellings per hectare should apply within such public transport corridors, and in appropriate city and town centres and some inner suburban locations. These should be clearly specified in local area plans.

The greatest efficiency in land usage in outer suburban sites will be achieved by providing net densities in the range 35 to 50 dwellings per hectare. Particular sensitivity is required in regard to the design and location of apartment blocks, which are higher than existing adjacent residential development. It is important to stress that higher density does not necessarily mean high-rise. It is about optimal use of the land through efficient and integrated design.

For the first time, these draft guidelines specifically address new developments in small towns and villages. Planning authorities should not consider extensive proposals for new development, including residential development, in smaller towns and villages in the absence of an adopted local area plan. This is an important qualification — the guidelines clearly indicate that, if planning authorities and developers engage with the local community and design a properly planned local area, development can take place subject to the usual environmental and servicing requirements. What the guidelines do not advocate is the haphazard, non-planned and large-scale developments that are unsuitable to many of our small towns and villages.

New development should contribute to maintaining compact towns and villages. Leap-frogging of development at some distance from the existing built-up area should be avoided. Members are familiar with this concept where housing estates do not fit in with the community and do not even have a footpath to service them. The Senator is correct in saying the taking-in-charge issue is of the utmost important. The draft guidelines indicate that in central sites densities of 30 to 40 dwellings per hectare may be appropriate for mainly residential or mixed-use schemes. At edge of town centre sites, under controlled circumstances, densities of 25-30 dwellings per hectare with a variety of dwelling types may be appropriate. At edge of small town-village sites, once again under controlled circumstances, densities lower than 15-20 dwellings per hectare may be appropriate as long as such low-density development does not exceed 20% of total new planned housing.

The scale of new development should be in proportion to existing development, and such development should provide for easy connectivity, especially by pedestrians and cyclists, to existing facilities. Planning authorities should also consider preparing village design statements for sensitive locations in co-operation with local communities. It is of fundamental importance to the acceptability by the public of higher density development that the quality of design and finish extends also to the individual dwelling and its immediate surroundings. Residents are entitled to expect that their new homes will offer decent levels of amenity, privacy, security and energy efficiency.

The orientation of the dwelling and its internal layout can affect levels of daylight and sunlight, and will thus influence not only the amenity of the occupants but the energy demand for heat and light. Privacy is another important element of residential amenity, and contributes towards the sense of security felt by people in their homes. All houses, terraced, semi-detached and detached, should have an area of private open space behind the building line. The provision of adequate and well-designed private open space for apartments is crucial in meeting the amenity needs of residents. In particular, usable outdoor space is a high priority for families.

Circulation within housing layouts, including access to individual dwellings, should have regard to the varying needs of occupants over their lifetimes, including needs associated with mobility difficulties and the normal frailty associated with old age. Where possible, designers should seek to create child and pedestrian-friendly car-free areas, especially in higher density schemes, through the careful location of access streets and parking areas.

The quality of finish and the maintenance arrangements of completed residential developments are intrinsic elements of their long-term sustainability. The quality of the finish of the public realm is of particular importance. Adequate provision should be made for storage-collection of waste materials.

Having set the policy context for the draft guidelines and outlined the main issues and recommendations, I would like to address some misconceptions which have arisen in various media about three particular aspects of the draft guidelines. First, in relation to advocating higher density development at appropriate locations, such as where there is good public transport, I am not saying high-rise. There is a clear difference between high-density and high-rise. High-density means maximising the number of homes in a controlled fashion, it does not mean hitting the clouds. Second, in relation to the recommendations for small towns and villages, it has been commented that the new guidelines will severely restrict new development and will contribute to many small towns and villages shrinking and dying out. I want to assure the House this is not the case. I want our towns and villages to grow and thrive. I want them to grow in a way that is positive for our future generations and that means we must ensure they develop in a sustainable fashion.

Third, the draft guidelines deal only with urban areas. There is no reference in the guidelines to one-off rural houses. Reference has been made to this in many of the regional newspapers. There is a huge misconception out there. These guidelines are totally separate from my Department's sustainable rural housing guidelines which were published in 2005, and which are still valid. The reason there is a specific chapter on small towns and villages in the draft guidelines is to try to bring proper planning to the development of towns and villages, not to curtail one-off houses in the countryside. These guidelines are aimed at making our towns and villages better places in which to live and to provide for a better quality of life for the residents in general.

Intrinsically linked to the planning of sustainable communities is the co-ordinated delivery of the necessary infrastructures and services in those strategic locations across the country which are currently under development pressure. As I have already highlighted, new developments need to be more than just the provision of new houses. It is essential that there is integration between development and the provision of the necessary hard and soft infrastructure. Key infrastructure should anticipate, and not follow, the delivery of new housing.

To progress this, the Government has mandated my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, to take responsibility for driving this Developing Areas initiative. A dedicated unit has been established in my Department to work with the local authorities and delivery agencies to resolve blockages and provide a coherent approach to servicing and releasing these lands for development. Good planning is a necessity and not an option. I do not know whose telephone is ringing but it is not mine.

I will conclude by stating that decisions must be made openly and transparently and in the best interests of the public. Well-planned and designed higher density developments at appropriate locations will help deliver environmentally and socially sustainable communities. I am confident these draft guidelines and the accompanying urban design manual provide a solid framework on which to deliver these objectives. They will also make a difference to both new and existing communities. I thank Members for the opportunity to discuss these issues. The support of the House and the recognition of the role of the guidelines in supporting more sustainable communities will strengthen the consultation process.