Roderic O’Gorman defends objection by housing spokesman over major development

Roderic O’Gorman has defended the Green Party’s housing spokesman after he objected to more than 300 homes planned for a site next to his home.

It has been reported that Dublin TD Francis Noel Duffy defended his objection because of overlooking, height and density.

The housing unit was granted planning permission but Mr Duffy objected to the application, saying the development “overlooks our kitchen”.

Mr O’Gorman said it is “legitimate” for someone to object to planning permission if it breaches planning rules.

Mr Duffy, the candidate for Dublin South-West, was due to attend a Green Party doorstep with party colleagues in Dublin on Saturday morning, but did not appear.

Mr O’Gorman said: “Francis last night made a political call that his time is best spent for two weeks out, knocking on the doors in his own constituency.

“The Green Party has done a huge amount to advance the construction of more housing in this country via the introduction of cost rental, be it the focus on getting vacant homes renovated and put in place the financial supports, and indeed, removing the attempt to derail the land hoarding tax earlier this year.

“In his submission on this planning application, Francis is very clear, he supported the building of houses on that particular location. What he did flag though was that he believed that the planning application didn’t meet with the local area plan.

“We’ve a planning system in this country where development plans and local area plans, they’re gone through in great detail by local authorities.

“They set out where houses are built and what type of housing should be built, and that’s the right way.

“In this situation, the inspector from An Bord Pleanala actually agreed to the position that the homes proposed was in breach of the local area plan.

“I do think it is legitimate, where we have a planning system, and where we have a planning system that sets out the type of housing that goes in a particular area, if a member of the public, or indeed an elected representative, states that the local area plan has been breached, it’s legitimate for someone to make a submission.

“I think where a TD, or indeed, a member of the public, sees that their local authority has adopted a local area plan to a particular area, and decided this is the type of housing… the type of community and other supports that go into that area, that is agreed through a democratic process, through our local authorities.

“A developer comes and makes a proposal to build in that particular area. If what they’re doing is contrary to what has been agreed for that area, I think it is legitimate for an elected rep, or indeed a member of the public, to make a submission on that basis.

“We have a planning system. We don’t have a free-for-all in Ireland.”

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said he would be critical of a party’s housing spokesman objecting to a housing development.

“I have said across the board that we should, as elected representatives, put housing as a number one priority and avoid all of these objections as much as we possibly can,” he added.

“They’re getting in the way of housing projects. We know from projects like Devaney Gardens, Oscar Traynor and others, that it took nearly 10 years to get houses built on them, which is just far, far too long.

“If it’s our number one priority, and it is, then we can’t be objecting to housing now or into the future, unless there’s exceptional reasons.

“But in urban areas, in particular, where you already have residential zoning and and all of that, to me, if they’re properly designed and so on, people should facilitate the building of housing.

“I’d be critical of a housing spokesperson in particular doing that, and the planning was subsequently given, which suggests that it was always provided for in the zoning. It was very surprising to see it.”