Vol. 502 No. 6
239 Mr. O'Flynn asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government if the Government will take a policy decision to end the arbitrary ringfencing of the major cities by means of green belts and outdated borough boundaries, in order that serviced land for housing can be provided quickly and inexpensively by extension to the available services from existing city areas. [8821/99]
Policy in relation to the proper planning and development of urban areas, of which the provision of green belts is part, is a matter to be determined by the elected members of the local authority through the development plan process and enforced through planning control. The Planning Acts provide that the development plan must contain objectives for preserving, improving and extending amenities. In general, I have no proposal to usurp this important function of local authorities.
Nor would I accept that it is necessary for me to do so to facilitate the servicing of land for residential development. The integration of land use planning and the efficient provision of infrastructure in the major cities is/will be assisted by the preparation of strategic planning documents such as the strategic planning guidelines for the greater Dublin area, published last week, and the land use and transportation studies in the case of Cork, Limerick and Galway.
Local authority boundaries should not in themselves be a barrier to the efficient servicing of lands. It is not uncommon for schemes sponsored by one local authority to service land in an adjoining local authority. Agreements under the City and County Management Acts are usually put in place to ensure effective implementation. Under the Local Government Act, 1991 it is open to any individual local authority to adopt a proposal to alter its boundary.
