Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I move amendment No. 7:

In page 16, to delete lines 10 to 45 and in page 17, to delete lines 1 to 16.

The Minister said during the debate on an earlier Stage that:

...the mandatory population threshold for preparing local area plans ... [should be] raised from 2,000 to 5,000 persons. The preparation of local area plans is resource intensive, involving consultation with both the elected members and the general public. Such resources are best used when an area is likely to undergo significant development on a greenfield site or redevelopment on a brownfield site.

We in Fine Gael believe there is no logic or reason as to why this threshold should be changed. The 2,000 population threshold is sufficiently adequate and communities, villages and towns throughout the country are entitled to have their local area plans formulated by local authorities on a statutory footing, as has been the case up to now. Increasing the population threshold from 2,000 to 5,000 absolves the obligation on an authority to have local area plans for those towns and villages.

As I said during the debates on Second and Committee Stages, every town and village should be entitled to reach its full potential and should have the hope and aspiration to develop to the best of its ability, as should any individual or community.

The Minister of State pointed out that nothing is stopping the local authorities from having local area plans, but this measure effectively will remove the statutory obligation on them to do so. The existing legislation, which provides for a threshold of 2,000, is more than adequate. That is the reason we have proposed this amendment and we will press it.