Regeneration Projects
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-05
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Robert Troy (FF), Longford-Westmeath

I thank the Deputy for her kindness in her response in acknowledging that I was given the wrong answer to the question that was submitted. I appreciate that. My understanding from listening to her follow-up is that Newmarket was a community market that operated in an open space and subsequently ceased trading, and planning permission was approved for a development of a structure of some sort. I am not quite sure what the structure was but it was a building of some sort.
As part of that planning permission there was a condition that a market would also be provided in the future for the community. The developer who got that planning permission is marketing the market at €66,000 per annum, which is in excess of €1,000 per week. That is excessive by any stretch of the imagination for someone to conduct a market.
It is clear to me that what the developer is trying to do is to be able to go back to Dublin City Council and say there is no demand for a community market, but if you price something so high you will not get a demand. I hope the Deputy will use her good offices to identify to Dublin City Council what is potentially happening in this space. I am taking this all on what the Deputy is saying. I am not aware of it. If somebody is being granted planning permission to maintain a community space in an area, they should maintain the community space in the area, be it for a market, a playground or whatever. It is critically important in our communities that amenities for the communities are maintained. We need to see progress. We need to see commercial and residential buildings built and sometimes they have to be built on open spaces. However, when it is a condition of planning permission to maintain the community element and amenities in the space they must be protected, and Dublin City Council must ensure they are protected. That is its role as the authority that has given planning permission in the first instance.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-05/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:44+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-05