Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 204: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if a person whose family home has been purchased under a compulsory purchase order and who then applies for planning permission for a new family home, will be refused said permission on the grounds that they are not originally from the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19858/10]

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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The setting of local need criteria for rural dwellings is a reserved function of the elected members of an area within the statutory development plan process. The 2005 Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Rural Housing provide that reasonable proposals on suitable sites for persons who are part of, and contribute to, the rural community should be accommodated, subject to the need for proper consideration of matters such as adequate wastewater disposal, road safety and design standards.

The Guidelines use illustrative examples to demonstrate that people who fall into the category of having local roots or links would include people who have spent much of their lives in rural areas and are building their first homes, farmers and their families, returning emigrants, people involved in forestry, inland waterway and marine related occupations, teachers in rural schools and other people whose work is predominantly in rural areas. This list is not intended to be exhaustive; planning authorities are asked to carry out their own assessment of the rural housing needs for their areas, taking account of local conditions and planning issues as appropriate. It should also be noted that, under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government cannot exercise any power or control in relation to any particular case with which a planning authority or An Bord Pleanála is or may be concerned.