Eamon Gilmore
Ceist:166 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for the Environment and Local Government the project offices, as recommended in Bacon Report 3 which have been established to date. [30199/00]
Written Answers. - Strategic Development Zones.
As I indicated in reply to Questions Nos. 20, 29 and 70 of 12 December 2000, I gave approval at the end of October to a more detailed analysis by local authorities of 11 of the 25 sites put forward by them as potential strategic development zones for residential development under Part IX of the Planning and Development Act, 2000. Submissions have been received in relation to each of the sites and an assessment of these submissions is currently being finalised by my Department. As part of the analysis, and where the matter had not previously been addressed, the local authorities concerned were asked to assess what structures needed 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 infrastructure development. This particular issue is being assessed as part of the overall evaluation by my Department.
My Department also 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. Proposals have been received by a number of authorities including south Dublin, Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Meath and Wicklow county councils for the expansion of existing offices or the creation of new offices. The arrangements required to facilitate this are being considered by my Department in conjunction with the local authorities concerned.