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Dáil
‹ An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business

Planning objections to housing

Summary

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae criticised Deputies and councillors objecting to housing projects in their own areas. The Taoiseach broadly agreed, saying he would not object to housing in a crisis except in genuinely egregious cases.

I will raise a horrible practice which has become more and more evident. I refer to the practice of Deputies and councillors in the Taoiseach's party, in parties supporting the Government and in the Opposition - although the Taoiseach might not be able to do much about people in Opposition - objecting to people building homes. In my opinion, it is not normal behaviour for an individual in this House to object to 5,000 homes being built in his or her constituency. That is not normal. The effect and result of such an objection is a delay in those projects being delivered or them not being delivered at all, meaning that homes are not made available on the market. People in the Opposition may say the reason they are objecting is that they are in the private market. Oh my goodness. Is there something so wrong with a builder wanting to build houses and put them up for sale in the public market? Is there something wrong with that? There is not.

If you want to make an omelette, you have to crack an egg. If we want to provide houses, we cannot have people shouting inside here about providing housing while at the same time using their poison pen to write objections. It is crazy. It is not normal behaviour.

Comment on this
Leo Varadkar The Taoiseach Fine Gael

I broadly agree with the Deputy's sentiments. I have not made a planning objection to a housing development or a negative observation on a planning for housing in seven or eight years. I cannot do it in clear conscience. When we are in a housing crisis, the perfect is the enemy of the good. I will not object to a development because it is not perfect. It is not entirely black and white though. There may be circumstances where a development is so egregious or so inappropriate that a Deputy or a councillor may object to it. What bothers me is when you see a pattern of somebody regularly objecting to new housing. They always have a reason - not now, not ever, not later, not here, not anywhere, not near me, not one-bedroom units, not tenants, not rent. That is what bothers me. It is not somebody perhaps objecting once, but multiple objections - a pattern.

Comment on this