Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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45. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if a commitment will be made not to extend the strategic housing development planning process and to allow for a return to a two stage planning process with the local authorities as the primary planning authority and An Bord Pleanála providing for an appropriate appeals mechanism. [22937/21]

Francis Noel Duffy (Dublin South West, Green Party)
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104. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the new arrangements being considered by his Department to replace the strategic housing development scheme; and the elements of the scheme that will remain given their lower commencement rate compared to the existing local authority planning process. [22484/21]

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 45 and 104 together.

The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (the Act) introduced new streamlined arrangements to enable planning applications for strategic housing developments (SHDs) of 100 housing units or more, or student accommodation or shared accommodation developments of 200 bed spaces or more, to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála for determination.

The Programme for Government - Our Shared Future commits to not extending the SHD arrangements beyond their legislative expiry date of end December 2021, which has now been extended to 25 February 2022 arising from the Covid-related extension of duration of statutory deadlines within the planning system by 8 weeks in respect of the period March to May 2020.

Work is ongoing on the development of new legislative proposals for the wind-up of the current SHD arrangements and the submission of large-scale housing planning applications (including student accommodation) to local planning authorities. It is intended to publish a General Scheme in this regard as soon as possible.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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46. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government the planning regulations or statutory instruments that could be used to advise local authorities to include conservation plans for sites of potential historical importance in their county development plans such as sites on and around former mother and baby homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22011/21]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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I refer to my recent letter to the Deputy in this matter which issued further to a query he raised with An Taoiseach in this House regarding the protection of potential burial sites associated with mother and baby homes in the context of county development plans. It had been requested that local authorities ensure that such possible burial sites are identified and taken into account in the context of future developments.

As my letter of 27th April sets out, the preparation of statutory development plans is a central function of each planning authority and must be undertaken in accordance with the provisions of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended. In that context, where there is any evidence of such burial sites, I am satisfied that there are provisions in the 2000 Act which enable local authorities in their role as planning authority, to take a precautionary approach in addressing this matter and to properly safeguard any such sites from potentially harmful development.

Currently, almost every local authority has commenced, or is scheduled to shortly commence, the statutory review of their development plan in accordance with Section 11 of the Act. This process affords the opportunity for the identification of burial grounds and their subsequent protection from future development through appropriate policy and objectives in the county or city development plan, and which importantly includes several opportunities for public participation and consultation.

I believe the development plan process therefore provides an appropriate opportunity for important local knowledge to be applied to assist in the identification and subsequent protection of such burial grounds.