Catherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
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604. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the way in which the Land Development Agency will interact with councils and local communities during the development process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48845/18]

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin Bay South, Fine Gael)
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The recently established Land Development Agency (LDA) will act as a new commercial State body to actively manage the strategic development of public land, with particular focus on unlocking the potential of publicly owned brownfield sites.

The Agency will act as a national centre of expertise, working with and supporting local authorities, public bodies and other interests, to harness public lands as catalysts to stimulate regeneration and wider investment and to achieve compact, sustainable growth, with a particular emphasis on complex regeneration projects and the provision of affordable housing. In line with its mandate, the LDA will retain experienced staff with extensive skills and experience in project management, finance, planning, development, law and procurement and will provide professional services to master-plan key sites/areas for development in key urban areas, in partnership with local authorities and other state bodies.

The LDA is in the process of advancing agreements with various State bodies in relation to a range of sites, including the Housing Agency, the Office of Public Works, the Department of Health, the HSE and the Department of Defence, which are participating in the first tranche of land agreements and is keen to work in partnership and co-operation with local authorities. A detailed business plan for the LDA is currently in development and will provide additional information on its delivery programme.

The LDA will also be subject to the full range of public participation mechanisms provided for under the planning process, which includes extensive provision for community engagement in the development and assessment of specific proposals.