Deirdre Clune (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 69: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government his plans to introduce new regulations for the advertising of planning applications to prevent the practice whereby, on sites where a planning application has been refused, the old planning notice is not removed for some months until it can be replaced by the notice of a new planning application in the same place, on the same colour paper, in order to confuse interested parties who may have objected to the previous planning application but do not know about the new planning application until the deadline to object has passed; the steps he will take to end this practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35161/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The Planning Code provides for extensive public notification of proposed development. It is a general requirement that a valid application for planning permission must be advertised by site notice and a notice in an approved local or national newspaper. These notices must state, inter alia, that the planning application may be inspected or purchased at the offices of the planning authority, and that submissions or observations in relation to the application may be made to the authority in writing on payment of the prescribed fee within the five week period beginning on the date of the receipt by the planning authority of the application.

Article 19(4) of the 2001 Regulations provides that where a valid planning application is made in respect of any land or structure, and a subsequent application is made within six months from the date of making the first-mentioned application in respect of land substantially consisting of the site or part of the site to which the first-mentioned application related, the site notice for the subsequent application must be on a yellow background rather a white background. Accordingly an existing site notice could not be replaced by a notice of the same colour unless there was over six months between the two planning applications.

Article 20 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 was amended in 2006 to require a site notice to be removed by the applicant following the notification of the planning authority decision on a planning application.

Article 26 (5) of the 2001 Regulations also provides that the notification from a planning authority to an applicant that his/her planning application is invalid, must request the applicant to remove the site notice. I have no plans at this time to further amend the legislation in relation to site notices.

Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 70: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government when the residential density guidelines will be updated; the strategies which will be implemented to increase the quality of new developments as discussed in Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35170/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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The reform agenda set out in the Government's housing policy statement Delivering Homes, Sustaining Communities has been actively pursued since its publication in February 2007 and a number of initiatives have already been undertaken, including preparation of a suite of guidance on planning and design matters.

In March 2007, my Department published new design guidelines on housing delivery entitled Quality Housing for Sustainable Communities. As well as housing design issues, the guidelines address integrated approaches to the delivery of community facilities. Guidelines were also published in September 2007 on Design Standards for New Apartments which promote quality design and space standards.

Draft Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas issued for public consultation in February 2008, accompanied by an Urban Design Manual which sets out best practice in implementing the guidelines. These guidelines will promote high quality living standards in new residential developments, encourage higher density developments at appropriate locations such as those with access to public transport, emphasise that new residential development must be integrated with facilities and services for the new community and promote energy efficiency. Following consideration of the seventy detailed submissions received, I intend to issue finalised statutory guidelines by the end of this year which will replace the 1999 Residential Density Guidelines.