Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 209: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if planning authorities are obliged to use the moneys paid to them by developers in lieu of an insufficiency of parking spaces on particular developments, to provide additional parking places in the immediate vicinity of the development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27860/07]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Under Section 48 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, planning authorities may levy development contributions in respect of public infrastructure and facilities provided by, or on behalf of the local authority that benefit development in the area, based on a scheme of contributions adopted by the elected members of the authority. Subject to this, the types of public infrastructure that can be funded by a development contribution scheme are further specified as the acquisition of land, the provision of open spaces, recreational and community facilities and amenities and landscaping works, the provision of roads, car parks, car parking places, sewers, waste water and water treatment facilities, drains and watermains, the provision of bus corridors and lanes, bus interchanges facilities (car parks for those facilities), infrastructure to facilitate public transport, cycle and pedestrian facilities, and traffic calming measures, the refurbishment, upgrading, enlargement or replacement of roads, car parks, car parking places, sewers, waste water and water facilities, drains or water mains, and ancillary matters.

Under the Act, income from development levies must be applied to pay for facilities servicing new development. The legislation also requires planning authorities to base the contributions on the actual cost of providing the infrastructure in question. However, there is no legislative requirement, nor would it be practical, for planning authorities to direct contributions received from a specific development exclusively towards a particular service or facility.

In May 2007 my Department published a report arising from the deliberations of an Inter-Departmental Committee on Development Contribution Schemes. This report was also accompanied by a guidance circular to all planning authorities which focused on a number of key issues identified by the Committee, including the importance of transparency in relation to the extent to which linkages between the development levies paid and the infrastructure projects funded from those revenues are demonstrated. Planning authorities were advised that developers should reasonably expect to be able to identify the infrastructural gain to which their contribution has been put.

More generally, it is a matter for planning authorities to determine their own policy requirements in relation to the provision of off-street car-parking, for instance, through the inclusion of specific objectives in their Development Plans. In drafting the Development Plan, planning authorities are statutorily required to elicit the views and comments of any interested parties through a public consultation process at draft and material amendment stages. These views and comments are presented to the elected members by the Manager for their consideration.