Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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1185.To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if he is aware of comments made (details supplied) about the regularisation of all unauthorised developments, and of plans to licence them within three to five years; if this will be done without planning permission built in special areas of conservation and special protection areas, and without an encroachment licence from Waterways Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33413/24]

Malcolm Noonan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Green Party)
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I am informed that Waterways Ireland has identified the existence of circa 430 alleged encroachments on the Shannon and has established a dedicated team to review each and to regularise, as appropriate. It is estimated that this process will take between 3 and 5 years.

I am informed that Waterways Ireland has sought legal advice on the implications of regularising any alleged encroachment consisting of a development without planning permission that has been in existence more than 7 years and in respect of which the Planning Authority has not initiated enforcement action, or where such enforcement action has not resulted in the removal of the development, and that there is no legal reason why Waterways may not regularise such an encroachment.

However, any development erected without planning permission remains an unauthorised development, even where it is outside the timeframe for enforcement action by the planning authority concerned.

As Minister of State in the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, which has statutory responsibility for planning, I cannot comment on any particular case with which a planning authority or the Board is or may be concerned.