asked the Minister for Local Government the steps taken to ensure that a developer will clean up and finish off an estate which he has developed.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Housing Estate Development.
29.
Sections 26, 31 and 35 of the Local Government (Planning and Development Act, 1963, give planning authorities powers to ensure that developers satisfactorily complete estates. Section 26 enables a planning authority to attach conditions to a grant of permission requiring the developer to carry out all necessary works and also to attach conditions for requiring the giving of security for the satisfactory completion of the development. Sections 31 and 35 enable a planning authority to serve enforcement notices on the owner or occupier of the land or on the person who commenced the development or any other person who has carried out or is carrying out development authorised by a permission, requiring such persons to comply with the terms of the permission. In the event of failure to comply with an enforcement notice a planning authority may enter on the land, do the works themselves and recover any expenses they reasonably incur. A person failing to comply with an enforcement notice is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £100 with provision on further conviction for a fine of up to £20 per day for each day on which the offence is continued.
I did not ask the Parliamentary Secretary to read out the statutes laid down in the Book of Statutes; I can read those myself. What I asked him to do is to take steps to ensure that a developer will clean up and finish off an estate. It must be clear to the Parliamentary Secretary and to every Member of this House that many estates are not being cleaned up and finished off and I was wondering if the Parliamentary Secretary, or the Minister, or the Government can do anything to ensure that estates are cleaned up and finished off.
If the Deputy has any particular estates in mind and he gives notice of them——
Surely the Parliamentary Secretary reads the newspapers.
In the event of the local planning authority failing to take action against the developer has the Minister got powers to take action?
It can be appealed to the Minister.