Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

This relates directly to this question. Many strategic housing developments were badly planned which led to judicial reviews because they were badly designed because they did not go through the proper scrutiny at local authority level. Many projects that did get planning permission were not commenced. Over half were not commenced. Councillors were not holding them up. They had planning permission but the developers were not starting to build. If we are in such a rush, there are many other elements to look at. I will table amendments later on "use it or lose it" for those who get strategic planning permission or permission for future large-scale residential developments. The part that should be regarded as disposable in the haste to development should not be the voice of elected members. With absolute respect to the CCMA, it is not the sole and only representative or champion of local area and local development plans. The development of local area and local development plans is a key responsibility for councillors and one which they take very seriously. That is why the example I gave earlier does matter because there was a city manager, Owen Keegan, who said he had dropped the ball by proposing rezonings in a map to the public without having checked with councillors. That has now been remedied but it is an example of where a local development plan, which is supposed to be a core competence of local councillors, where the city manager took a different approach.

It is very important that we have the useful and constructive engagement not just in the development of the local area and local development plan but that local members, council members and local authority members would have some opportunity. The single meeting described by Senator Boyhan, where people can choose to attend or not, is not a very long addition to a process. That single meeting would have the value of those who had championed and developed the local area and local development plan being in a position to champion and reflect on it and bring their insight to bear. The process is not an additional consent mechanism but simply a meeting. It adds a lot to the process without considerable delay. I urge the Minister to reconsider this between now and Report Stage. It would be highly regrettable were we to miss this opportunity to bring that insight to the process.