Michael Lowry (Tipperary North, Independent)
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1068. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware of the large number of housing estates in County Tipperary which are not taken in charge by Tipperary County Council; that the majority of these housing estates have street lighting which is not functioning; of the large number of break-ins and criminal gang activity in County Tipperary recently; his views that adequate lighting in rural and urban housing estates is an essential factor in deterring these criminal activities; his plans to allocate once-off funding to Tipperary County Council to repair the street lights in these housing estates, and all other broken lighting in urban and rural areas in County Tipperary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37819/15]

Paudie Coffey (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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The taking in charge of residential estates by local authorities is provided for under section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. Section 180(1) provides, in relation to estates which have been completed to the satisfaction of the planning authority in accordance with the planning permission, that the planning authority must, if requested to do so by the developer or by the majority of the owners of the houses involved, initiate the taking in charge procedures in section 11 of the Roads Act 1993. My Department, by way of Circular letter PD 1/2008 dated 26 February 2008, issued updated policy guidance to planning authorities on Taking in Charge of Residential Developments/Management Arrangements. This advised each planning authority to develop or update, as appropriate, its policy on taking in charge by the end of June 2008, based on the following principles (among others):

- Certain core facilities/infrastructure to be taken in charge on request - public roads and footpaths, unallocated surface parking areas, public lighting, public water supply, foul and storm water drainage and public open spaces;

- The procedures for taking in charge to begin promptly on foot of a request by the majority of the residents in the development or by the developer, as appropriate. Protocols, including time frames, must be set out by planning authorities to respond to requests for taking in charge.

Each planning authority’s pol icy on taking in charge is required to be made available to the public and published on its we bsite and the policy must be reported on to the elected members on a regular basis, and at least once annually.

My Department is currently reviewing, in the context of the forthcoming Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill, the current provisions in section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, relating to the taking in charge of housing estates by planning authorities with a view to improving and streamlining the taking in charge procedures. A particular focus of the review will be the time limits for the taking in charge of housing estates with a view to expediting the process. My Department is consulting with planning authorities in this regard.