Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

His latest contribution in terms of planning is apt because my county, no more than the Cathaoirleach's, has been destroyed. A county on the coast of this country with panoramic landscape has been destroyed by very badly developed and planned properties, particularly in the seaside areas. All we can do is learn from this and try to ensure that in future we do right and protect the fabric of society which is the town centres. In the past tax incentive schemes have not worked but there is merit in some sort of a tax incentive scheme for town centres to create a level playing pitch because, unfortunately, facilities such as free car parking that exist on the outskirts of towns do not seem to prevail within town centres. In order to create a level playing pitch, there needs to be some sort of a tax incentive scheme for town centres, particularly in small towns with a population of less than 10,000.