Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State to the House. I also welcome the legislation. I wish to raise a number of points and deal with some matters that the Minister of State raised. In regard to vacant sites, as someone who has been involved in the legal profession for a long number of years, I have found that sometimes one of the problems associated with development concerns the assembly of a site that is suitable for development. Sometimes a developer acquires a site but must sit on it for a period of time in order to obtain an adjoining site to make the project viable. That would apply in particular to urban areas. Very little assistance is given by the local authorities in such instances. I am thinking of some areas in Cork City in this respect. I know of one place where there are vacant sites on which there were buildings previously, and stuck in the middle of the three vacant sites is a site that is occupied by a building. I was speaking to people in Cork City Council during the past week about whether the city council should get involved in this instance and serve whatever notices are required in order to compulsorily purchase that building to enable the development to proceed. I am not sure if the local authorities are acting fast enough in order to facilitate such developments.

I know of another case in which it took a person 11 years to secure planning permission on a vacant site, which I find difficult to understand. The problem in this case related to 60 sq. ft. which the local authority owned but in respect of which it refused to give a wayleave agreement in order that the person could get access to a side road. The person had access to a main road. The planners wanted to give planning permission but they wanted it to be granted with access to the side road. The developer had no difficulty with that, but there were 60 sq. ft. between the boundary of the property and the side road, and for 11 years the local authority sat on it and would not yield that 60 sq. ft. Planning was eventually granted for the development 11 years later with access to the main public road, on which there were already a number of entrances. That shows a lack of thinking by local authorities when sites are being assembled, especially in urban areas. Local authorities need to be quicker off the mark in such matters. Another issue that sometimes arises is to do with title difficulties. In fairness to Cork City Council, it has assisted developers in serving derelict site notices, as a result of which they can sell back the title. Local authorities need to use that function far more effectively. In the case of older sites and properties, difficulties may arise where there is a long lease of 300 years, say, which might be subdivided into 100-year leases and perhaps even subdivided again. Problems may arise when not all of the parties to a sublease can be found. Use of a derelict site notice is an effective way of dealing with such difficulties. Again, local authorities could do a lot more to assist in this area.

One of the major problems in my constituency when it comes to housing is the number of people who are living in local authority properties that are far too large for their needs. This is an issue that requires careful examination. In some cases, there might be only one or two people living in a house that could accommodate five or six. People in that situation may find it difficult to manage their home because of the cost of heating, lighting, property tax and so on, and often wish to downsize. The problem, particularly in cities, is that there may well be no suitable smaller properties available in the area in which they have lived for 35 or 40 years. Local authorities have a role to play in addressing in this issue as doing so would give the benefit of freeing up houses that are suitable for families. In some parts of Cork city, the population is decreasing because families could not afford to buy there over the past 15 to 20 years. Now that prices have come down, there may be an opportunity to reverse that development. The Department should examine how people can be assisted to downsize without having to move 20 or 30 miles to find suitable accommodation. There is a great deal of work to do in that area.

I have a concern as to whether we will get value for money from the development levies. To take an example from the city of Edinburgh, I understand a developer who got permission to build 200 houses there was obliged, in turn, to provide the school extensions, playgrounds and other facilities required to meet the needs of the families who would be living there. That the levies will be collected by local authorities does not necessarily translate into the provision of services. Developers should, especially in the case of large developments of more than 100 houses, be obliged to do more by way of providing amenities at the same time as homes are being built. That would be much more efficient and beneficial than waiting until after a housing development is completed to consider what facilities are needed. This is a factor we must consider in respect of future development in our towns and cities.

I welcome the important changes contained in this Bill, particularly those which relate to the Part V regime. I look forward to seeing those provisions implemented and fully operational at the earliest possible time.