The Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, yesterday moved to end any uncertainty in the building industry about the provision of social and affordable housing by saying he would not budge on the issue.
The builders have claimed that the current slowdown in housing construction is due to uncertainty over the application of Part V of the Planning Act, 2000, and its two-year limit on the lifespan of planning permissions.
"They talk of uncertainty. Well, let me remove any uncertainty about the matter. Part V is now a permanent part of the housing and planning landscape for the foreseeable future," Mr Dempsey told the planners.
He had "no intention" of removing the constitutional protection given to Part V - under which up to 20 per cent of development sites may be reserved for social and affordable housing - by changing the law.
Referring to the alleged uncertainty caused by the two-year "withering rule" for housing permissions, the Minister pointed out that neither this rule nor Part V in general applied to 75,000 units already approved.
As for alleged delays caused by the planning system, the Minister said the builders should remember that 90,000 housing units were processed last year by planners, who often worked after hours to deal with applications.
In a barbed criticism of the builders, he said: "Very often, the cause of the delay in the planning system is not the planners or the system, but the applications which pay little or no attention to sustainable development."
Mr Dempey told the conference his Department was putting the finishing touches to new planning regulations to give effect to the Planning Act, 2000, which he expected to bring before the Oireachtas for approval shortly.
Referring to the National Spatial Strategy now being prepared by his Department, he said planners would have a vital role in raising public awareness of its implications and, ultimately, in implementing the strategy. "I appeal to you to become advocates for the strategy. We will be publishing a number of papers towards the end of June on possible spatial policy indicators. After considering the public's views, we will publish the strategy by year end."
