Conor D McGuinness Challenges CCMA on Rural Housing and Service Sites

I have a number of pointed questions, so I'll just launch right into them. It strikes me that rural areas are being left behind in the provision of all sorts of housing, from social, affordable and cost rental to the provision of private homes. Is there a reason, this is a question for the CCMA, in your estimation that rural areas are on the back foot, is there pressure or direction from the Department of Housing to prioritise social and affordable cost rental schemes in the larger urban areas? It's predominantly led by demand in the HNDA, so the demand is going to be inevitably more in the urban areas. But that said, social and affordable housing, social housing in particular, is being delivered in rural areas throughout the country, in smaller towns and villages. And just in terms of affordable, I mean, I can speak with authority about Waterford, where we don't have an affordable scheme outside of Waterford City. Towns like Ardenmore, Bunmahan, Clashmore, crying out for it. You know, communities organised around the idea and pushing really, really hard for it. But yeah, no delivery. I imagine that's replicated in other counties, particularly those with coastlines. Is there a direction or a suggestion from the Department to local authorities to focus more on, we'll say, the larger towns? Local authorities are coming forward with proposals in terms of those more rural areas. But again, it follows the demand, first of all. And the other issue is the availability of infrastructure, particularly waste water and water infrastructure in those smaller settlements. Now, I can't speak for Ardenmore, obviously. Of course. But I can speak for what I know in Kerry, and the list of towns is there, and it's a matter of, do we actually have the capacity from an infrastructural perspective? So investment, one way that would deliver housing, whether it is socially affordable or private. Would you say in that regard, then, that we'd say the lack of infrastructure and a failure to maybe invest, and you might use that terminology, but effectively a failure to invest in sufficient infrastructure in rural areas is a key element of the rural depopulation crisis? There is a need to invest in water infrastructure. Can I ask you about the service sites scheme, the affordable service sites scheme, that was much touted a number of years ago by government as being the panacea to solve the issue about rural planning? And it's a scheme that I would love to see get off the ground, but I understand that it hasn't in many respects, and only a small number of local authorities have actually actioned it in any way. Speaking with chief executives and directors of services and different local authorities, the feedback I'm getting is that the scheme is utterly unworkable. It doesn't make financial sense, and local authorities are scared that they'll be left on the hook for significant costs because of the scheme. Would that be your view, that the scheme is unworkable as it currently exists? And if so, what recommendations would you have for the department to improve the scheme? We are working on them, and in Kildare they have delivered, so I'll ask Alan to respond. Yeah, Deputy, we have one pilot ongoing at the moment in a small rural village called Klohorinco, land that we owned, carried no debt. So we're willing to, I suppose, move a scheme there, six or seven small plots. It's fully sold now, so we're going to reinvest that into our next scheme. A small bit more alignment between Creeconia and service sites will be of assistance, but it certainly is something that we're trying to roll out in Kildare, given, okay, Kildare is very urban nearly at this stage, but that is something we are working on, and it has, that pilot has been successful. Can I ask what discussions have taken place within CCMA with regard to the scheme in areas where it's not working, in areas where local authorities have looked at it but decided not to implement it? That would be on an individual basis. Again, it goes back to the bespoke nature of each site, so it would be on an individual basis between the local authority and the department. It would be, we would only discuss things at an aggregate level with the CCMA. Okay, and I wonder, just finally, on this particular topic, has the CCMA considered conducting a piece of research or discussions on this with a view to forming an opinion and communicating that to the department? I can raise that with the colleagues in the host of the committee. I think it would be worthwhile. I see Mr Cussin would like to point on that. Thank you, Deputy, not directly within our remit, but I suppose insofar as we review development plans, we look through the core strategies, we can see the under-delivery in relation to rural towns and villages. So, we did a little piece of work on that, which has fed into the department's latest housing plan. There is a commitment in there in relation to developing a scheme called Ready to Build, which is about bringing on stream service land. And in smaller towns and villages, and particularly, I suppose, creating a more viable, a more deliverable platform for small, medium-sized builders, et cetera. So, we're in touch with the department on the affordable housing side in relation to how that scheme is coming forward. It's in development. I know there's work really going on in it, but we did that piece of research, and I'm sure through the committee we're happy to share. It was a former chief executive of a local authority. Thank you very much. In the short amount of time I have available, I want to put more questions to the CCMA, particularly with regard to Tighiach Gaeiltochta and the Gair Ciem Tighiach the Gaeiltochta. To what extent is the failure by either the Department of Gaeiltochta or the Department of Housing to publish the Trollian to Plan all the Gaeiltochta, the Gaeiltochta planning guidelines, is that a barrier to your planning officials in terms of addressing the huge issues, particularly in Mayo and in Kerry, but also in my own county of Waterford? No, I think it goes back to the barrier to development in rural areas applies to the barrier to development in Gaeiltochta areas, which has to do with infrastructure, you know what I mean, and capacity and topography. And indeed, as I said earlier, opportunity. There is a working group between the CCMA and the Forest na Gaeiltochta on planning for Gaeiltochta areas, and that's working well. Is it frustrating for that working group that years after they've been promised that there still are no guidelines from the Department? Well, the guidelines in terms of development will still apply, you know, so I don't think those specific guidelines could be attributed to... The specific planning guidelines that have been promised by government for a long time and have been told that it'll be the end of next year before they're delivered. So it's effectively using outdated planning guidelines to address an issue that has been allowed to fester for many, many years. And I think it's really important in this forum, in any forum to spell it out, that Gaeiltochta areas are on their knees. They will not survive another generation. Something that we managed from independence to maintain, just maintain, will be lost on the watch of this government of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael because of their failure in this regard. So I think it's, you know, this is important. If we don't address this urgently, it will be too late and those Gaeiltochta areas will be gone. Look, I'm working closely with Duda Ross on this. A number of things. Number one, the key thing that will drive Gaeiltochta areas is employment opportunities in Gaeiltochta areas, a broad spectrum of them. Development is important. And I would also encourage that those guidelines, because they... With respect, and I understand we're against the clock, but I would counter that by saying that anybody who's looking in any serious way at Gaeiltochta development and the maintenance of the Gaeiltoch areas, including those on the ground working, including those in the department, will say that housing is, rather than employment, is the biggest issue affecting them and the biggest barrier to their survival at the moment. But I do understand. I just think it's important to make that point that that conversation about employment was one in the 80s and the 90s. Now we're talking about housing, so the next generation of Gaeiltochta can raise their families in the Gaeiltochta. That is the biggest critical issue, especially with the advent of remote working. I think that employment piece is important. Nobody wants to take away from it, but it's certainly not the biggest issue. I just think that message needs to be heard by the local authority sector as loudly as it's heard by government, I think. I don't want to let Mr. Reedy finish what he was saying there. I think what's important is that the cultural wealth of Gaeiltochta areas is critical, and that's the layer that those planning guidelines will bring in. But what I would advocate strongly is investment in infrastructure in Gaeiltochta areas, more so. The planning guidelines haven't, those planning guidelines haven't inhibited us from approving or not approving housing in Gaeiltochta areas. What has is the infrastructure. So more so, I think the infrastructure will deliver housing in Gaeiltochta areas where there's a demand and a need than the guidelines. But the guidelines will be welcomed in terms of strengthening the heritage integrity of the Gaeiltochta areas. Thank you. And just to highlight to Deputy Minis, in the next number of weeks, we'll be having a specific discussion on housing and following on Deputy Hearn's proposal in the Gaeiltochta areas. And we will have all Norris and the Gaeiltochta in and officials in in relation to that as well. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You