Vol. 235 No. 4
asked the Minister for Local Government if his attention has been drawn to a report detailing recently completed property development projects, those at present under way and those on which work will begin within 18 months; and whether these statistics accord with information in his Department.
21.
asked the Minister for Local Government if his attention has been drawn to reports to the effect that the total area of property development either under construction or on which work will begin within 18 months in Dublin city alone is well in excess of two million square feet representing 29 separate development sites; and if he will make a statement on the criteria by which he satisfied himself that such projects were in the public interest in any cases where appeals against the decision of local authorities to forbid development were brought to his attention and subsequently sanctioned by him.
22.
asked the Minister for Local Government how many of the 29 projects of property development in Dublin city at present under way, or due to be under way within 18 months, were sanctioned on appeal to him; and which projects were so sanctioned.
23.
asked the Minister for Local Government the total number of residents whose dwellings were demolished to provide space for property development in the case of all projects of development in Dublin sanctioned on appeal to him since 1960.
24.
asked the Minister for Local Government if he will detail the location and total floor area of all projects of property development in Dublin city sanctioned on appeal by him following a refusal of permission to develop from the local authority since 1960.
With your permission, a Cheann Comhairle, I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 to 24 together.
I have seen the report in question and, in so far as I can verify from the information in my Department, the Dublin city projects listed represent 1,640,000 square feet, not all of which is for letting and only 225,000 square feet of which has been completed. I am not aware how many of the projects listed have permission from the Corporation but four of them, totalling 471,000 square feet, are before me on appeal.
Permission was obtained on appeal for development on the sites at Burlington Road, Lansdowne House, Carisbrooke House, Marlboro' House, 9/10 Dawson Street and Adelaide Road. In all these cases, the Minister imposed conditions reducing or limiting the floor area proposed to be provided. The criteria in relation to which planning appeals are decided are set out in section 26 of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963.
I have no information as to the total number of residents whose dwellings were demolished in these cases. So far as I am aware existing premises on the sites were not occupied as dwellings when the appeals were made, with the exception of one case where it was the owner-occupier who sought and obtained permission. The former owners may still have been in residence in some cases.
In regard to the location and total floor area of all projects of property development in Dublin city where permission has been obtained since 1960 following a refusal by the planning authority, it would take an inordinate amount of staff time to go through all the appeals since that date and make the necessary calculations. In many cases copies of the plans are not now available in my Department and, in any event, projects are frequently altered or revised.
Would the Minister say if and when he intends to introduce legislation to stop the indiscriminate demolition of habitable houses?
I have no knowledge that there is indiscriminate demolition of habitable houses, but I hope to be in a position to introduce legislation in a fairly short time.
Would the Minister not agree that, for a man in his position, that is an incredible statement to make to this House—that he is not aware of habitable houses being demolished?
I said I am not aware that there is indiscriminate demolition of houses——
Totally indiscriminate.
——and neither is the Deputy.
Does the Minister intend to introduce legislation?
I intend to do it, but I cannot say exactly when.
Would the Minister tell me why it is he wants to wait to introduce legislation when he has power under existing legislation to amend an order made by himself which excluded demolition from the ambit of the authority of the planning authority? If the Minister will amend his own regulation, deleting the word "demolition", no further demolition can take place without prior authority from the planning authority and would the Minister not consider this as an interim measure until the legislation which he has in mind can be considered by the House?
The amendment which Deputy Dillon proposes would make the Planning Act unworkable and in the meantime planning authorities have ample powers to secure the preservation of any house which they consider worthy of preservation.
Demoltion is excluded from the ambit of the planning authority by the Minister's order.
There is considerable disquiet over the number of persons losing their homes due to this type of demolition. Would the Minister now take steps, as suggested by Deputy Dillon, to correct the situation.
I am not aware that there are numbers of people losing their dwellings at present. I agree that it is desirable that sound, habitable houses should not be demolished.
Deputy Cluskey rose.
Would Deputy Cluskey allow questions to continue? Question No. 25.
Surely the Chair must be aware that this is a very serious matter for many citizens of this city?
There are 73 questions on the Order Paper.
Surely the Chair would allow the Minister to give a satisfactory explanation to the citizens of Dublin as to why he is hesitant to use the powers he has?
Will the Deputy resume his seat?
The people are of opinion that there are influential people engaged in this type of demolition.
Question No. 25.
It is the duty of a Deputy to expose this type of nonsense.
I am not aware of any case in which there has been demolition without permission having been given.
The Minister should take a ramble around the city.
The Minister has given permission over the objection of a local authority to suit his friends.
The planning authority of which Deputy Cluskey is a member?
To suit your political friends.
You do not get permission to demolish. Can you not demolish first?
I am not aware of demolitions being carried out, even by people like Deputy Belton, without permission for development under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act.
Even by Deputy Belton? By anybody.
25.
asked the Minister for Local Government whether, in consideration of appeals to rescind the decision of local authorities against planning permission, he has taken account of the established European practice of insisting that all projects of commercial property development must expend a minimum percentage of total cost on art work; and, if not, why.
There is no provision in the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963, which would require commercial property developers to expend a percentage of the cost of such projects on art work and the criteria governing control of development under that Act are not such as would enable permissions to be made subject to any condition in these terms.
26.
asked the Minister for Local Government if his attention has been drawn to a detailed report which provided area statistics for four recently completed projects of property development in Dublin city stating that the total floor space thus provided in these four projects was 225,500 square feet; if any of these four projects were sanctioned on appeal by him; and, if so, which sites were involved, and by what criteria he satisfied himself that these were in the public interest.
Permission for three of these developments was not obtained on appeal. Outline permission for the Lansdowne House project was given by Dublin Corporation and, on appeal by a resident against the grant of the permission, their decision was confirmed by my predecessor.
The criteria to which planning decisions must be related are set out in section 26 of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963.
27.
asked the Minister for Local Government if his Department will take cognisance of the statistics on property development in Ireland published in a report (details supplied); and if, as a result of this initial contribution to public information on the subject, his Department will now consider the compilation and maintenance of statistics relating to property development in Ireland.
In the context of providing advance information on the expected future level of building activity, the Central Statistics Office has undertaken, on an experimental basis, the compilation of aggregate monthly data on projects for which full permission or approval has been granted under the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act, 1963. For this purpose planning authorities were requested by me some time ago to send to that Office particulars of each permission and approval, other than outline permission. It is not yet possible to say exactly what form the statistical results will take but it is hoped that in due course it will be possible to have monthly indications of the extent of the principal types of proposed construction for which planning permission or approval has been given in that month.
While the limited investigation possible in my Department indicates that the report in question contains some inaccuracies and does not include certain prominent office buildings completed for renting in recent years, I am of opinion that the separate compilation and maintenance of statistics by my Department of such development in Ireland would not be warranted having regard to the arrangements made already.
