Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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333. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the guidelines in place on maintaining uniformity of appearance in housing estates and to prevent areas deteriorating in terms of visual amenity over time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18357/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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My Department issued Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas and an accompanying Design Manual in 2009.  These are available on my Department’s website at the following links:

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These guidelines put in place a framework for planning authorities to consider residential development applications.  The design manual criteria provide a robust framework in which proposals for the design of residential development can be discussed between the developer’s design team and the planning authority at pre-application consultations. 

Under normal circumstances the developer is legally responsible for the operation of housing estates and for maintenance of roads and footpaths, water services, public lighting and open space, until the local authority agrees to take them in charge, the procedures for which are set out in section 180 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended). However, it is a matter for property owners to maintain their properties in an appropriate fashion.

Local authorities are responsible, under the Housing Acts 1966-2014, for the management and maintenance of their housing stock and the management of their estates.