Planning Bill will put an end to bad planning - Peter Kelly TD

The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2009 which was debated in the Dail yesterday evening is a very welcome and timely piece of legislation. It will put an end to bad planning practices which resulted in a deterioration in the quality of life for many home owners, particularly those whose homes were developed on flood plains or in housing estates without provision for infrastructure, such as, schools, roads and public transport.

This legislation introduces a number of key changes to the Planning Code with the main aim of ensuring proper planning at a local level, supporting economic renewal and promoting sustainable development into the future. It will mean greater coherence between the national spatial strategy, regional guidelines and local guidelines. Most importantly, it will greatly strengthen local democracy and accountability and provide greater transparency for the public in the planning process.

One of the most welcome aspects of the Bill is that which provides for greater powers to deal with so-called “rogue” developers. This will enable local authorities to refuse planning permission to applicants who have been convicted of serious breaches of planning legislation or have been involved in an unauthorised development. This aspect of the bill is all the more relevant following reports this week that there are in the region of 200 “ghost estates” around the country.

The recent floods and the flooding of a number of developments built on flood plains have been a reminder of the urgent need to incorporate flood risk assessment into our planning laws. This bill provides for the inclusion in development plans of flood risk assessment as part of the control and regulation of development in areas at risk of flooding. I hope that this provision will ensure that never again are developments built in areas prone to flooding.

Two days ago, the Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan outlined the terms of a banking inquiry, an important inquiry which will help us learn from the mistakes of the past. Just like with banking and financial regulation, we also have to learn from the mistakes of the past in planning and development. I believe this bill is a positive first step in creating a new planning system based on greater accountability by all and sustainable development for the future.

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