Paul Bradford (Independent) | Oireachtas source

In welcoming the Minister back to the Seanad, I express a sincere hope that this is not a sign of things to come.

I raise this issue with the Minister because several weeks ago, when I raised a similar matter with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government, I was advised by the Minister of State at that Department, Deputy Ann Phelan, to contact the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport as his Department liaises closely with the National Roads Authority.

I am seeking a review of the impact a rather black-and-white policy being pursued by the National Roads Authority is having on the ability of families, especially farming families, to build residences on national secondary roads. I stress that I am fully committed to road safety. In my time as a county councillor I made many representations on planning matters. In cases in which disputes arise and there is any shred of doubt or difficulty about road safety, we must always err on the side of caution.

I have encountered a significant number of cases where, despite road safety, sight distance, etc., not being compromised or in doubt, the NRA's blanket policy has impinged on a council's decision on whether to grant planning permission for houses on national secondary roads. In one case in north County Cork, in which I was not involved, the authority successfully appealed a decision by Cork County Council to grant planning permission for a residence for a small business operation to An Bord Pleanála. While I fully respect the road safety perspective of the National Roads Authority - long may it continue - individual cases must be considered from a social and economic perspective from time to time. In cases in which a farming son or daughter is unable to build a house on the family farm, we will have a ridiculous scenario in which the applicant will be obliged to build or buy a house three or four miles away and traverse the secondary route in question several times a day. Some dairy farmers will visit a farm two or three times in the middle of the night during the calving season. The broader safety perspective must also be taken into account.

In so far as the Minister has powers in this area, I ask him to liaise with the National Roads Authority to ascertain whether there is a reasonable prospect of council engineers discussing individual cases with a local office of the National Roads Authority in an effort to alleviate problems. I am reluctant to call for discretionary powers, as this term is a throwback to all the funny political decisions made in the past. The number of cases involved is probably not more than a few dozen, or three or four per county, at any given time and certainly does not run into the hundreds. On a day when the Government is launching what will, I hope, be a visionary policy on agrifood and rural areas, it is important to ensure that farming families are facilitated in living on the family farm. This will require a careful examination of planning issues.

I thank the Minister for listening. I do not expect him to perform miracles today. I ask him to discuss with the National Roads Authority the possibility of shifting its black and white policy towards one in which there is a prospect of dialogue in individual cases. County councils will not approve a planning application if there are any doubts about road safety. As a result of a national policy pursued by the National Roads Authority, they are now reluctant to give serious consideration to planning applications for dwellings alongside national secondary roads. I ask the Minister to reflect on the issue with a view to improving the current position.