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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 8 Nov 2000

Vol. 525 No. 3

Written Answers. - Housing Policy.

Proinsias De Rossa

Question:

141 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if, in regard to his Department's document, Action on Housing, he will say when the series of project offices will be established to fast-tracked infrastructural development in the proposed SDZs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24748/00]

Ivan Yates

Question:

276 Mr. Yates asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government when he will announce the strategic development zones for residential development; and the target number of houses to be built and the period in which they will be built under this scheme. [24918/00]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 276 together.

I refer to the reply to Questions Nos. 347 and 348 of 17 October 2000. Following an evaluation by my Department, I recently gave approval to a more detailed analysis by local authorities of 11 of the 25 sites put forward as strategic development zones for residential development under Part IX of the Planning and Development Act, 2000. These candidate sites have the potential to provide almost 41,000 housing units. One of the objectives of residential strategic development zones is to expedite the delivery of large-scale residential sites. In general, therefore, it is expected that strategic development zones for housing should be capable of being built within a maximum of five years.
As part of the further analysis being undertaken by the local authorities concerned they have been asked to assess what structures need to be put in place to deliver necessary infrastructure to these sites in the event of their designation as strategic development zones. In this context, the local authorities were asked to have regard to the preferred approach set out in Action on Housing regarding the establishment of project offices to drive infrastructural development. It is my intention that the Government will be in a position to designate the first tranche of strategic development zones later this month.
My Department wrote separately to key local authorities in August asking them to examine the operation and resourcing of existing project offices for water and sewerage schemes necessary for new housing development. The measures necessary to facilitate the expansion of existing offices or the creation of new offices will be considered by my Department in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.
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