Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate that this is good practice, that it is what should happen and that it is what often, although not always, happens. Bearing in mind that there are a number of routes to the provision of affordable housing, I do not have the same confidence in all of them because not all of that housing will be new build. Some of it will be repurposed and some of it will be done under Part V. I do not have full confidence that all of these factors are always in the mix.

We saw all of those good elements in the planning process for SHDs but the fact is that some elements of the planning process have been chipped away. That is a concern that I have. That is why I am trying to strengthen those points at every stage. I would like to have these matters in primary legislation. It may just be a checklist, which most local authorities and housing authorities will definitely meet in respect of most affordable housing, even though I do not know if the intergenerational public spaces are there for all.

The reality is that we still have housing developments with planning permission, which are not near public transport and which are not adequately provided for in education services. They also lack public amenities and intergenerationally accessible public spaces. Such housing developments exist and many of them have a Part V component. It is reasonable to ask that we would have this belt and braces in place. I appreciate that it probably strays into the area of planning for housing developments. However, considerable public investment is likely to be attached to the affordable housing in this area so I just want to make sure that we are placing it in the best way that will be supportive of our goals.