Gerard Murphy
Ceist:649 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government if he will consider amending the planning laws to allow planning authorities to ask for an alternative site. [24960/03]
Written Answers. - Planning Issues.
Gerard Murphy
Ceist:651 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government when he will communicate his new policy on rural housing as outlined by him in Dáil Éireann recently to county managers. [24962/03]
Gerard Murphy
Ceist:652 Mr. Murphy asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government if county managers will be instructed to implement his new rural housing policy immediately. [24963/03]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 649, 651 and 652 together.
Overall Government policy on rural housing is set out in the national spatial strategy, NSS, which was published in November 2002. The rural settlement policy framework contained in the NSS aims to sustain and renew established rural communities, while strengthening the structure of villages and smaller settlements to support local economies, ensuring that key assets in rural areas are protected to support quality of life and ensuring also that rural settlement policies are responsive to the differing local circumstances in different areas.
It is vitally important that there is certainty and consistency in the implementation by planning authorities of Government policy in this matter through their own development plans and in the operation of the development control system under planning legislation. This is the purpose of the guidelines under the Planning and Development Act, which I intend to bring forward to deal with this issue. These are at an advanced stage of preparation and I hope to issue them to planning authorities before the end of the year.
With regard to the question of alternative siting of developments, this is a matter which can and should be resolved with the relevant planning authority, with the help of pre-planning consultations where appropriate and would not appear to require amendment of legislation. I will consider further whether it would be appropriate to deal with this matter in the context of the proposed guidelines.
Question No. 650 answered with Question No. 647.
Questions Nos. 651 and 652 answered with Question No. 649.
Questions Nos. 653 to 655, inclusive, answered with Question No. 647.