Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 12: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if he will re-examine and reverse the decision he made to curtail the building of once off housing in non CLÁR areas of County Monaghan; his views on the fact that the population increase in County Monaghan as a whole has been at a much lower level than in other parts of the country and that his order has taken away the rights of property owners to use valuable sites for neighbours and friends who do not qualify under his regulations; his further views on the fact that individuals who had planning in progress at the time he changed the rules lost up to €10,000 each; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35943/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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At both public consultation stages of the Monaghan County Development Plan 2007-2013, which was adopted in March 2007, my Department expressed serious concerns that the draft plan did not support the objectives of the National Spatial Strategy, the Regional Planning Guidelines for the Border Region or the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines for Planning Authorities

The Council's draft plan did not adequately identify areas under strong urban pressure, particularly in those parts of the County close to the main towns of Monaghan, Carrickmacross and Castleblayney and along the N2 National Primary Route. This ran counter to the approach set out in the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines published in April 2005. These Guidelines apply to all planning authorities and are aimed at striking a balance between providing a sustainable planning framework for rural housing and making it easier for those who are part of, or have links to, local rural communities to build a house. The Guidelines provide that reasonable planning proposals on suitable sites in rural areas for persons who are part of, contribute to, or have links with the rural community should be accommodated. They thus affirm a presumption in favour of quality one-off housing for rural communities, provided that proposals meet appropriate standards in relation to matters such as proper wastewater disposal and road safety. The Guidelines also classify rural areas for housing purposes, and specifically address those locations, such as Clár areas, suffering from de-population.

The rural planning policies proposed in the Monaghan County Development Plan 2007-2013 were without any objective assessment of housing needs, and could have facilitated inappropriate development of one-off houses in rural areas under significant urban pressure without the provision of sufficient essential infrastructure services. The Council has amended the County Development Plan to take account of the Ministerial Direction which I issued on 23 July 2007 under section 31 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 to address this issue, and I have no plans to re-examine my Direction to the Council in this regard.

I am conscious of the local implications of a Ministerial Direction and, consequently, I highlight, where necessary, issues and concerns of a strategic and serious nature at the early stages through my statutory consultative role. It is a matter for Monaghan County Council, in the first instance, to ensure that its County Development Plan, and any variations to the Plan, provide for the proper planning and sustainable development of its area, supported by proper assessment of the scope and extent of rural housing needs.