Lisa Chambers (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I very much welcome the Bill. We have engaged extensively with local authority representative groups, the Association of Irish Local Government, AILG, and the Local Authority Members Association, LAMA, and with local authority members in the Fianna Fáil party over many months on this issue.That this change is coming about is testament to the Minister, his Department and all of our councillors because it has been sought for a very long few months. Many Members have articulated very well the difficulty in doing a county development plan during a pandemic. At its heart it is about public consultation with the people one represents. We know the impact a county development plan has on the social and economic development of the county, the community one lives in and the area one is from. It impacts on rural planning as well, very much so. I have raised this with the Minister many times, as have many of our councillors. There was a huge concern that significant changes were coming down the tracks in new county development plans around the area of one-off rural housing. This is giving our councillors an opportunity to discuss that further, to consult properly with their communities and local interest groups and to take the time they need to properly consult with the public on this. We are very keen to see the rural housing guidelines as well and to have an opportunity to view those in advance of completing the county development plans. I would appreciate some remarks from the Minister on that document and those guidelines. I know many councils across the country are eagerly awaiting sight of that, engagement with the Minister and his Department and ultimately being able to use that document when they are putting their plans together.

I welcome also the extension of time for planning permissions. I would not say it is a massive issue but I have certainly been contacted a number of times. People have not really been in a position to build their homes in the last year or even to just initiate that building process. There is pent-up demand there as well; it is very difficult to get a builder or tradespeople. There are many issues there so the additional time is giving people space and acknowledging the difficult period, of more than a year now, that we have had. It is very welcome.