Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026: Committee and Remaining Stages
Dail Éireann — 2026-07-08
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John Cummins (FG), Waterford

I would like to respond to some of the comments. This is a sensible proposal to allow the alteration of existing planning permissions for a time-bound period of two years. The alternative being suggested by Deputies is that developers who have schemes that they cannot build for a viable cost should go back through the entire planning process. As the Minister of State, I want to activate apartment development in this country. I do not want to see planning resources within our local authorities wasted. The Deputies opposite raise the issue of planning resources. I will always fight for additional planning resources within local authorities and within An Coimisiún Pleanála, but by virtue of what is being said by the Deputies opposite they want those schemes to go back to the start of the planning process. It will waste planning resources within local authority systems rather than being able to alter the envelope that has been established as a use for residential development. It is a common-sense proposal. It does not go outside the boundary of what is permitted development. It ensures the same existing bed spaces are provided for.
I do not accept that I am wrong to raise the Vienna model because the initial comments from the Deputies opposite were all about size. Not once was the cost referenced - and they can go and look back. On size, I merely pointed out the minimum size of an apartment in Vienna, which is 30 sq. m to 35 sq. m for a studio apartment. What we have is 32 sq. m. There is no alteration to the size of one-bedroom apartments from what was there previously, which is 45 sq. m. A change in the studio size is provided for.
There was mention that viability is profitability. First, "profitability" is not a bad word. Viability is about deliverability. Deputy Hearne acknowledged that it would put roofs over people's heads. That is what the Government wants to do. We want to put roofs over people's heads. If this measure puts roofs over people's heads I think it will be a positive measure.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-07-08/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:07+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-07-08