The consultation process is important but its existence is not a reason to take away citizens' rights to comment on and, if necessary, object to local development. My colleague, Senator Coogan, raised this issue in the Seanad. A family might live in a particular area and be quite happy with its surroundings and a neighbour might apply for permission for a development to which the family does not have an objection. However, the family may subsequently find, to its horror, that the local authority has altered a feature of the development as a condition of the permission which renders the development unacceptable. It would be wrong for any legislation to prevent such a family having its say and I hope the Minister and succeeding Ministers for the Environment and Local Government will recognise people's right to be heard if such a circumstance arises. I do not support the notion of frivolous or vexatious appeals which are designed to frustrate development. I promote the notion of early consultation in order that objections can be minimised.
While it is important to look at planning in local areas, it is also important that the regional dimension of development is planned for and that regional plans are nationally integrated, cohesive and reliable. It is important that that would happen given that serious questions have been raised in regard to the strategic planning guidelines for the greater Dublin area which the Minister launched in Malahide last March. Studies suggest that population forecasts and the manner in which they impact on household formation are seriously underestimated and that the current level of housing need is far higher than the forecast. The necessary infrastructure is not in place to meet the demands of the number of people currently living in the region, not to mention projected population figures, and this is a cause of disquiet in the region.
The issue of staffing and the provision of support systems, not only in the planning departments of local authorities but also within An Bord Pleanála, must be addressed. The growth in development activity must be accommodated and facilitated by providing adequate staff to local authorities, not by removing people's entitlement to comment.
The move to establish strategic development zones is welcome. However, I believe the concept is overly restrictive in terms of the area of application. All planning authorities should have the opportunity to prepare these development zones in conjunction with external interests.
It is important that counties have a financial corporate development plan whereby planning applications could be fast-tracked where the principles of the scheme are complied with. In this way, councils could confidently consult with industrialists on how they could assist with the speedy establishment of enterprises. In turn, industrialists would have to wait a shorter time to put their economic enterprises in place which, in the fast moving world of commerce, is all important.
There must be a focus on the development of clear understanding of detail, technology and strategic regional concepts and the manner in which they interact with local plans. It is important that inconsistencies between different counties' development plans are addressed and eliminated. There must be a clarity of purpose which demonstrates the integration from local action plan to county plan to regional plan and, ultimately, national plan level with a view to the sustainable long-term distribution of our population. The plans must also be practically attractive and capable of being implemented in the short-term.
The section relating to the taking in charge of housing estates is most welcome. On section 164, will the Minister clarify that if a developer does not complete an estate and a local authority takes enforcement action which, for whatever reason, is unsuccessful, the majority of qualified electors who are owners or occupiers may not request the local authority to take the estate in charge? For too long, house developers sold a dream of gleaming houses set alongside sweeping and superbly surfaced roads and smooth, crack-free footpaths on which to wheel prams and buggies. In preceding years, young people played on rolling acres of manicured park lands. Action to address this terrible scandal of deceit is long overdue. The timeframe within this section is unacceptable and provision should be made for sections of estates to be taken in charge within three years of their completion. It is unacceptable that any home purchaser could be obliged to wait seven years before being in a position to initiate action to address these problems.
The new system for the levying of development contributions is quite good. One of the ongoing resentments one encounters in developing areas arises where a self-sufficient village community which had adequate social facilities such as football fields, open spaces and community centres no longer has adequate facilities as a result of development. The established community is disadvantaged through the emergence of new estates, their social facilities are over-subscribed and their transport corridors are blocked with traffic. Development levies must be sufficient to address the restructuring, repositioning and maintenance, if not improvement, of the quality of life of residents.
I welcome the obligation to give information on the ownership of all property to the relevant local authorities. In the past it has been found that in an effort to frustrate the interests of local authorities, occupiers have failed to co-operate by not being frank. The importance of protected structures is obvious. Too often we read of fast buck merchants endeavouring to destroy listed structures, rights of way, etc. The new section providing further protection for landscape features is appealing and will ensure the survival of hedges, ditches and other such features.
The section dealing with rights of way is welcome as it amends the 1963 Act under which local authorities were responsible for the maintenance of rights of way. Under section 49, it was unfortunate that when the planning authority sought the preservation of the public right of way, it was obliged to maintain it. There are many wonderful walks in the Howth peninsula, which I represent. We are awaiting the implementation of the amenity area order on which we have worked for many years. Fingal County Council has done a survey and submitted it to the Minister. However, there were objections and an inspector was appointed to hear them. This has caused some concern locally. I wrote to the Minister and he replied regarding the inspector's report. The residents' associations and other interested local bodies are anxious to have this report as soon as possible so they have an input before the Minister makes a decision. My constituency colleague, Deputy Broughan, put down a question on this matter. The Minister replied that the inspector's report will be submitted to him and he will make a decision on that basis. From the tone of the Minister's letter, the residents and I do not seem to be getting our way on this matter. Perhaps the Minister of State, Deputy Dan Wallace, can tell me if I would get the report if I made a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I ask the Minister to examine this matter.
The need for a housing strategy is important. It is appropriate that the potential housing need of every local authority should be assessed and a plan put in place to address it, on the basis of the housing list. There will be an account of those in reasonably paid employment who would be excluded from the opportunity to avail of affordable housing. It is reasonable to say this is a short change scheme which will not assist enough people to buy houses. The Government is failing to address the crisis in providing adequate housing for those who cannot afford to purchase a home for themselves and their families. The scheme, which will, to an extent, address social exclusion if implemented correctly, with affordable housing dotted throughout housing estates, fails to make adequate provision to meet the real demand for local authority housing. It excludes, perhaps permanently, those whose incomes are above £25,000 to £30,000 annum and who are not earning more than £40,000.
The Government policy will be subvented by those purchasing on the open market. The indication is that the composite land purchase price remains the same, despite the notion of percentages of holdings being used to support social housing. If the land purchase price remains at the level it was prior to the publication of this Bill, or the inclusion of the Fingal County Council's development plan which is a similar concept, the only logic is that the land cost must be averaged over the remaining site units, thereby further inflating the selling price of domestic dwellings. This plan will not resolve the housing crisis. The poor will be in worse conditions and those earning above the average industrial wage will living permanently in rented accommodation. This Government, despite its considerable limitations, must be capable of greater things. This Minister, who likes to make the headlines, ought to consider how he can devise policy which will result in headlines regarding home contentment rather than feeding people illusions.