Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

I welcome the Minister, Deputy Gormley, to the House. I also welcome the publication of the draft planning guidelines on sustainable residential development in urban area and the accompanying best practice urban design manual. It is fortunate that every time the Minister comes into the House it is with a good news story. I congratulate him for grasping the challenges that faced him in his Department.

It has become clear from the contributions of Members across the House that most believe the planning legacy of the Celtic tiger was less than one might have hoped. This resulted from a coincidence of a massive explosion in demand for housing both for residential development and much speculative development. Local authorities were overwhelmed and under-resourced and planners were being stretched. Had these guidelines which the Minister is introducing and which have sustainable development at their heart been in existence before the Celtic tiger took off, very different development might have taken place.

Nevertheless, I welcome their production. The guidelines state that the number of homes in the country is expected to increase from 1.8 million to 2.5 million by 2020. Consequently, much construction and much residential development will happen in the coming decade. It is gratifying to see the kind of guidelines the Department has produced because they will put sustainable development at the heart of the residential development that will take place. They will do so because the energy scenario which future communities and neighbourhoods will face is very different to the one we have experienced until now. The price of fuels on which people rely to travel to work or go shopping will become increasingly expensive, so there is an onus on planners to ensure people can live within a reasonable distance of their workplaces. Developments should not presume automatic access to several cars per household or that people are able to shop at large supermarkets located some distance from their homes. The guidelines make it clear that we have to be aware not only of rising prices and our energy future, but also of our carbon footprint. Residential developments should minimise our carbon footprint rather than contribute to it.

The Minister has considered social sustainability and the need to build communities. He has also discussed the need for private open spaces in apartment dwellings. Unfortunately, many residential developments over the past decade have viewed people as economic units and focused on providing them with somewhere to live and access to work while failing to consider elderly and disabled people or children, who have needs for all kinds of facilities and services. An integrated approach is being taken, with an emphasis on the need for amenities, convenience and green spaces and playgrounds. The guidelines advise on liaising with the planning unit within the Department of Education and Science to ensure schools are provided in an integrated manner.

Observers of this country's planning policies over the past decade have expressed concern about whether these guidelines will be implemented and enforced by local authorities. However, if the willingness is there, they can be enforced. The guidelines provide a policy framework within which local authorities and An Bord Pleanála can make planning decisions. A case was taken to the High Court challenging what was considered to be over zoning by Meath County Council. The court ruled that while local authorities had to have regard for guidelines, they were not obliged to follow them. I ask the Minister to comment on how authorities can be encouraged to operate within the guidelines.

Unless we want to continue the existing pattern of suburbanisation and the unsustainable sprawl of towns and cities, we have to consider higher density developments where appropriate. I agree with the planning guidelines in regard to where high density developments should be located. They must be adjacent to public transport corridors because the dependence on cars of large numbers of people concentrated in smaller areas has implications for traffic congestion. I note the emphasis in the guidelines on integrating land use and transport planning. Unfortunately, local authorities have little if any influence on the provision of public transport even though they are closely involved in roads delivery. The guidelines stress the importance of involving all statutory bodies and agencies when local area plans are devised. An integrated land use and transport authority for the greater Dublin area would be positive in that regard.

I welcome the focus in the guidelines on small towns and villages. In my constituency of County Wicklow, problems have arisen from the unsustainable way in which towns and villages have developed. The guidelines recommend that where local area plans are not in place, extensive development should not occur. That makes sense because without the structure of a local area plan, developments can fail to integrate communities or consider the future. In addition, where land is not zoned for development, there is no Part V obligation on the part of developers, so local authorities could lose out on social housing stock.

I congratulate the Minister on the timely production of the planning guidelines. Local authorities need this policy framework. Every speaker has welcomed the guidelines in one way or another but we should realise that the decisions our parties are making at a local level affect planning and zoning. Our support for the guidelines should filter down to party members at local government level so everyone can understand sustainable development is the way forward.