Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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422. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government further to Parliamentary Question No. 95 of 13 June 2024, for an update on the publication date for a guide to the provision of allotments and community gardens by local authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36945/24]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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In terms of planning, providing, enabling and supporting allotments, legislation is in place in the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) and the Local Government Act 2001 (as amended) to identify locations in development plans for allotment development, and to establish allotments as a part of local government’s role in promoting the interests of local communities.

Identifying land for allotment development in a development plan is a reserved function of the elected members of a local authority when considering and making the plan, while the provision of allotments or similar facilities on local authority land is a matter for each individual local authority and is subject to availability of resources and community inputs and support for such proposals.

The Sustainable Residential Development and Compact Settlements Guidelines, which I issued as Ministerial Guidelines under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act (as amended) in January 2024 refer to Community Gardens and Allotments as ‘plots of land which are made available (usually by a local authority) to community groups or individuals for the cultivation of vegetables and plants. Section 4.4 (iv) of the Guidelines - Public Open Space - states that all statutory development plans should include a strategy for the provision of an integrated hierarchy of multifunctional public open spaces and corridors across the plan area that meet the needs of the planned population, are accessible, provide for the recreational needs of the planned population and create space for nature and ecosystem services.

The Guidelines also state that public open spaces should be designed to cater for a range of active and passive recreational needs (including play, physical activity, active travel, cultural uses and community gardens and allotments, as appropriate to the context) and to conserve and restore nature and biodiversity.

Policy and Objective 5.1 - Public Open Space – of the Guidelines provides that statutory development include an objective(s) relating to the provision of public open space in new residential developments with a requirement in the development plan for public open space provision of not less than a minimum of 10% of net site area and not more than a minimum of 15% of net site area save in exceptional circumstances.

Further guidance for local authorities on the provision of allotments and community gardens will be progressed subject to the priorities, work programme and commitments of the Department, in addition to resource availability.

Following engagement with members of the Oireachtas at both pre-legislative scrutiny and Dáil Committee Stage, the Planning and Development Bill 2023 has been expanded to cater for both allotments and community gardens. This was achieved by including reference to ‘community gardens’ as well as allotments in the appropriate sections as well as adding, for the first time, a definition of Community Garden which reads as follows:

“community garden” means an area of land that—(a) is let or available for letting from a local authority to members of the local community for collective gardening purposes, and(b) is used or intended for use—(i) wholly or mainly for either or both of the following: (I) the production of vegetables or fruit mainly for consumption by members of the local community; (II) the propagation of plants for environmental or decorative purposes in the local community,and (ii) otherwise than for profit.”