Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 32:

In page 9, after line 38, to insert the following:

“Limit of duration of permission 6. Section 40 of the Principal Act is amended by the insertion of the following subsection after subsection (3):

“(4) Notwithstanding subsection (3), where a planning authority grants a permission to which section 32A(1) applies—

(a) ‘the appropriate period’ means the period of 12 months beginning on the date of the grant of permission, and

(b) section 41 shall not apply in relation to the permission.”.”.

We have talked at length about the use it or lose it idea around being fast-tracked. The basic principle is that if a person is fast-tracked, he or she should expedite his or her own building, otherwise what is the point of the whole thing? One can see based on the following amendments from Opposition Members that it is in opposition to the entirety of section 6. We put forward our amendment in an attempt to make the section better. There is a sense, certainly on this side of the House, that the whole section is not as fit for purpose as it could be. Whatever will happen with our amendment, will happen. Skipping the Court of Appeal and so on and so forth is probably a bit far reaching. The other Opposition Members will speak to the deletion of the whole section.