Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 6 October 2020
75. Deputy Martin Browne asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage his views on the way in which the commitment in the programme for Government to make housing a social and economic imperative is possible with a lack of services such as public transport in some areas; his plans to provide the communities under his remit with access to such services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28462/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraI have no function in the provision or funding of public transport.
Under the Programme for Government "Our Shared Future", this Government has committed to delivering more than 50,000 additional social homes over the coming five years and to ensuring that affordable, quality housing solutions are available to working families by putting affordability at the heart of the housing system throughout Ireland.
The focusing of new development at locations proximate to high quality public transport in the interest of a sustainable pattern of development is a well-established planning policy principle most recently confirmed in the National Strategic Outcomes of sustainable mobility and compact growth identified in the National Planning Framework. This reiterates the emphasis on the prioritisation of public transport corridors/accessible locations for new development that is also clearly supported in our Planning Policy Statement (2015), various National Planning Guidelines under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 including the Development Plans Guidelines (2007), the Local Area Plans Guidelines 2013 and others. Local authorities are obliged to have regard to these principles in performing their planning functions including the formulation of the policies of their statutory development plan and in deciding on planning application for new housing development.
