Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I also see this as a use it or lose it clause and I support it. Again, the legal advice I have received on this amendment is to check the wording, because there is one element that we need to cover. If somebody does start building, but for some reason there is a problem, for example, if the estate is substantially completed and runs out of planning, what we do not want is a half-finished estate either. There needs to be a provision for an extension in that circumstance. However, if the building has not begun at all after a five-year period, as I said earlier, I do not see why we should be facilitating a streamlined decision-making process for developers who do not bother to use the planning permission once they get it.

If the Senator agrees to withdraw it, I will introduce an amendment to the same effect with the addition of making the exception for estates that are substantially completed to ensure that we do not end up with a half-finished estate and having to go through the planning process for a year. I think that would be crazy. Certainly, this is a stick that we can use. If we are introducing a streamlined decision-making process for planning that can reach decisions on developers' applications in 25 weeks, we are doing so because we want the developers to build houses on those sites. If they do not bother doing that, or if they cannot do that for the next five years, then they should probably not be using the fast-track process at all if there is no intention to build in the foreseeable future. We want this system to be used by people who want to turn sites into homes.For that reason I am happy to support what Members are seeking to do in this amendment, with the minor addition in regard to sites that are substantially completed, so we do not have unfinished estates going back for planning permission.