Sharon Keogan (Independent)

I move amendment No. 5:

In page 4, between lines 2 and 3, to insert the following:

“Repeal of section 21 of Principal Act

3. Section 21 of the Principal Act is repealed.”.

Amendments Nos. 5 to 8, inclusive, propose to repeal sections 21 to 24, inclusive, of the principal Act. These sections, as they stand, embed the national planning framework deeper into our planning system. I have serious concerns about this direction. Let me be clear: the national planning framework is not law. It was never voted on by the people. It is a policy document that has become a straitjacket for local democracy. It is being used to override the will of elected councillors to dictate from Dublin what should be decided in Drogheda, Donegal and Dingle. Planning should be bottom up, not top down, but what we see in these sections is the opposite. We see a centralised vision being imposed on communities regardless of their needs, their geography or their aspirations. Section 21, for example, reinforces the idea that local development plans must conform to national policy, but who defines that policy? It is not the people, the councillors or the communities. It is defined by civil servants and consultants and your fella in the Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, often with little or no connection with the areas affected. In the most recent vote here, the OPR dezoned 28,000 ha that would have delivered 100,000 homes for the people in this country and we are in a housing crisis. We bring in emergency legislation for stupid things but we cannot bring in emergency legislation to build houses for our people.

Sections 22 to 24, inclusive, continue in the same vein. They embed a system where local authorities are implementers, not decision-makers, where councillors are sidelined and where the lived experience of communities is ignored in favour of abstract targets and glossy strategies. I have said it before and I will say it again. Ireland has one of the weakest systems of local government in Europe and instead of strengthening it, this legislation continues to hollow it out. We need to trust our local representatives. That is what this legislation is about when it comes to planning. It is about trusting our local representatives and trusting the people who are on the ground to make the right decisions, to build the houses in the right places and to know where the water services are. Councillors are not stupid. They do not put planning into areas that have not got services. They know their areas, they know what works and they are accountable to their people, not to a framework, not to a regulator and not to a Department. This is why I call for a repeal of these sections. Let us restore balance, restore democracy and give local government the respect and responsibilities it needs.