Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I congratulate the Minister on his staying power. I compliment him on introducing these guidelines and thank Fianna Fáil Ministers for giving the House this opportunity to debate them. I spent a number of years as a councillor in Meath County Council and as an employee of the planning section of the London borough of Camden and I see much in this document that is welcome. The guidelines and the best practice guide offer a way forward for residential development in the future. The document is well laid out and is comprehensive. It will make residential development in Ireland more sustainable.

I will refer to points in the order they appear in the document, namely, neighbourhood, housing site and issues relating to the home environment. Considerations of neighbourhood are vital for the success of any scheme. The context of the development should ensure that any new developments add to what exists. One of the criteria in the document refers to ensuring there is a park within 15 minutes' walk of the development. This is laudable but the reality is that in Meath East there are no public parks. Meath has no parks section and the same is true of many counties in Ireland. Will the Minister consider including criteria for introducing public parks, perhaps funded by special development levies?