Rose Conway-Walsh: Calls to Restore Local Planning Power on Housing
Rose Conway-Walsh spoke today criticizing the Government's Watershed Planning Act and urged that Sinn Féin's amendments be accepted to strengthen local authority planning powers. She called for councils to be allowed to open reserved residential zoned land, relief for builders on bank fees and interest, reinstatement of the tenant-in-situ scheme, and adoption of the 'home of your own' housing plan.
Critique of Watershed Planning Act
She said the Watershed Planning Act of last year shows the Government did not get reforms right and that Sinn Féin's calls for additional scrutiny were ignored. The technical changes in the current Bill, she argued, should have been included in the original legislation.
Local authority role and reserved land
She argued local authorities must remain central to planning because they know the needs of individual areas, including growing housing waiting lists. She urged that reserved residential zoned land be opened where councils identify housing need, citing long delays in planning decisions and the lack of homeless accommodation north of County Mayo.
Financial barriers for home-building
She criticised bank set-up fees as "absolutely ridiculous" and said interest payments of between 10% and 15% to builders make projects unaffordable. These finance costs, she said, prevent local builders from delivering homes and worsen the housing emergency.
Sinn Féin housing plan 'home of your own'
She set out Sinn Féin's housing plan, 'home of your own', which would give local authorities a central role in building and could deliver 125,000 social and affordable homes over five years. The plan would shift delivery away from large private developers, empower councils and local builders, and propose making housing a constitutional right.
Immediate relief and defective concrete blocks
She urged the minister to reinstate the tenant-in-situ scheme to protect families at immediate risk of homelessness and asked whether forthcoming legislation will enable those affected by defective concrete blocks to access higher supports and rebuild their lives. She also described a new league table for council housing performance as a ploy to deflect government responsibility for rising homelessness figures.
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Minister, the fact is that we are here today discussing amendments so soon after the Government's Watershed Planning Act of last year. That confirms the fact that the Government didn't get the reforms right the first time. Sinn Féin called for additional scrutiny back then and a par for the course we were not listened to. The issues that this Bill seeks to address should have been part of the discussions in the original legislation. Again, we are asking you to accept Sinn Féin's amendments to this to strengthen the legislation. I note that these technical changes will enable local authorities to retain a number of functions until such time as the relevant sections of the 2024 Act is commenced. It's important, Minister, that local authorities remain central to planning. They know the needs of the individual areas, not least the growing numbers on the housing waiting lists in each of the municipal areas. It's only fitting that they retain oversight relevant to the development plans, the regional, spatial and economic development plans and the local area plans. In my own constituency of Mayo, I see first-hand the pressure that Council staff are under to cope with the housing emergency as they are trying their best to provide housing and accommodation against a never-abating stream of people in dire housing need. One thing I would ask you, Minister, to do is that the reserved residential zoned land be opened up in the areas where the Council identify the housing need. And I'll tell you why I'm asking that. It's because I know local builders who want to build, who are ready to build. There's one in particular I approached the Council with last January. They are not going to get a decision on that until a year's time. Twelve months is an awful long time for people to be homeless. We don't even have any homeless accommodation in north of County Mayo. So there are things that can be done there. And if that residential zone land was opened up at the discretion of the Council, then we could make progress. But I also want to raise with you the issue of finance and funding for home building. The set-up fees that are demanded by banks are absolutely ridiculous and without foundation. I mean, it's crazy the numbers that I'm hearing back from builders. The interest rates payments of between 10% and 15% to builders are not feasible as well. They're making the whole thing unaffordable. Now, as you know, Sinn Féin has brought forward our own housing plan, a home of your own. And that would give local authorities a central role in the building of homes. So over the past five years, it could, or over five years, it could deliver 125,000 social and affordable homes. That would really make a difference. We would shift from the government's preference for large private developers to empowering local councils to lead housing delivery and enable local builders to build and also making housing a constitutional right, which it needs to be. I would encourage the Minister to examine those proposals, which would really empower the local authorities. But in contrast to this, the announcement last week of a league table for local councils on their housing performance, I believe is a ploy to deflect the blame for the disgraceful homelessness and housing needs figures for which the government bears absolute and sole responsibility. The Minister must also reinstate the tenant-in-situ scheme. Minister, there are families in Mayo right now who are in absolute fear of being made homeless. And the solution, the short-term solution to that would be to reintroduce the tenant-in-situ scheme. And I cannot sit down without speaking about those who are in dire need because they have the defective concrete blocks. Minister, is the legislation going to be done in the next number of days to enable the ones that are trapped in the situation, either the cap or where they are on the lower rates, for them to get the higher rates, for them to be able to go ahead and rebuild their lives? Thank you, Deputy Toole. Thank you very much.
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