Denis Landy (Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Minister might clarify the matter. If someone from An Bord Pleanála visits Kilsheelan in County Tipperary from Dublin to review an application involving in excess of 100 houses, the lack of local knowledge poses a major problem. Whatever about the resources that the Minister has stated are being invested, if one does not have local knowledge, one does not have local knowledge.

The Minister stated that only lands that had already been zoned would be affected, but they have been zoned for housing. A developer might seek to build a housing development, a pub and a takeaway, but there would be no input from local councillors. Takeaways are a major problem in housing developments. Most people do not want them, but there will be no local input. As Senator Murnane O'Connor stated, if the Government provided the €1.4 million that it is giving An Bord Pleanála to local government instead and gave local authorities staff, the fast-tracking could be done at local level instead of centrally.