2026-06-25

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for selecting this matter for debate. It is something I am very interested in and is something that communities across the State and in my constituency are very interested in. They struggle to understand why we cannot do better on it. It is about access to playing pitches, playgrounds and public green space. In my home county of Meath during the 20 years between 1996 and 2016 the population significantly increased and it continued in this vein until 2022, which is the latest census we have. There are thousands of houses but parks, playgrounds and public playing pitches did not materialise. The truth is that our communities were failed and continue to be failed. During the Celtic tiger developer-led construction and poor planning meant we got dense residential estates but zero public green space. The people of Meath lived up to their side of the agreement. They bought houses, raised families and built communities but local and central government failed to live up to their side. The Minister of State in his response will likely point to the planning and development Acts, development plans, guidelines for planning authorities, the sustainable residential development and compact settlement guidelines and probably to other planning Acts because we have asked these questions previously. The fact of the matter is that it is not happening. The parks, pitches and playgrounds are not being delivered. The truth is when we ask who is responsible for making it happen we get pointed to somebody else or we get a blank response. We have a siloed planning system and communities right across the State - I am talking about my constituency of Meath East and I live in one of this communities - are being failed. We are being incredibly frustrated by the lack of progress. I am frustrated because this is an issue I am passionate about. It is one I have tried to make constructive contributions about but we are seeing no progress. Along with colleagues, I launched Delivering Liveable Urban Spaces, Sinn Féin's policy document, alongside our proposal for a dedicated public park, green space and woodland fund, which we call Ciste Beithe. Our proposals are clear and practical and the Government should listen to them. We want the sequencing of developments, meaning playing pitches, parks, playgrounds and river walks must be delivered in tandem with houses and not put on the long finger. We want funding ring-fenced from development levies and we want green and blue spaces placed on an elevated footing in our county development plans. Most importantly, we want the voice of local communities heard at every step, from design to planning to delivery. If implemented, these proposals would transform County Meath and every other county. They would help us to build communities and not just houses. They would ensure that our children have somewhere safe to play and they would give us a fighting chance of dealing with the policy failures of the past. There needs to be a policy change and a step change to empower local authorities as a matter of priority to deliver on this vital community infrastructure. Will this happen?

I take this opportunity to thank Deputy O'Rourke for raising this important matter and providing me with an opportunity to update the House. I am taking this Topical Issue on behalf of Deputy James Browne, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage. Under the Planning and Development Act 2024 local authorities are obliged to prepare and adopt development plans that may make provision for the delivery of recreational facilities and amenities. While the making of a development plan is a reserved function of the elected members of each local authority under the Act, the development plan guidelines for planning authorities of 2022 set out that when making zoning decisions, consideration must be given to the future availability of, or the capacity to provide, supporting local community and amenity services and infrastructure, including recreation and sports facilities. The sustainable residential development and compact settlements guidelines of 2024 indicate that planning authorities should plan for an integrated network of well-designed neighbourhoods that can meet day-to-day needs, including sporting needs, within a ten- to 15-minute walk of all homes. In the case of larger settlements, the residents of less central neighbourhoods should have the opportunity to travel by public transport, and other sustainable modes such as greenways, to access higher order services and amenities at more central and accessible locations. Section 7.3 of these guidelines sets out that every development plan should include an objective for a community, social and cultural infrastructure audit for areas that are likely to experience significant new development and should have a clear evidence-based rationale for future requirements in order to maximise the social return and community benefit generated by public investment by State agencies and others. Policy and objective 5.1 of these guidelines states that statutory development plans should include an objective relating to the provision of public open space in new residential developments and in mixed-use developments that include a residential element. The requirement in the development plan shall be for public open space provision of not less than a minimum of 10% of net site area and not more than 15% of net site area, save in exceptional circumstances. Different minimum requirements within the 10% to 15% range may be set for different areas. The guidelines state that public open spaces should be designed to cater for a range of active and passive recreational needs, including play, physical activity, active travel, cultural uses and community gardens and allotments, as appropriate to the context. The Deputy may be interested to note that Sport Ireland is a prescribed body for the purposes of plan-making in accordance with the Planning and Development (Prescribed Persons - Statutory Plans) Regulations 2025, SI 458 of 2025. The Office of the Planning Regulator, OPR, is carrying out initial research into sporting facilities and the planning system. As part of this, it is liaising with Sport Ireland and other sporting bodies to examine how local authorities can more effectively plan for the provision of sports and recreational facilities for their communities. With regard to the delivery of such facilities, responsibility for Government policy on sport and the funding and function of Sport Ireland lies with my colleague, the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport. In accordance with section 63(3) of the Local Government Act 2001, local authorities are independent in the performance of their functions.

I am aware of all that detail, and it actually spells out what the problem is. That is the current state of affairs and it is not working. The Minister of State knows this as well as I do. Anyone who is a public representative, and anyone who has an interest in sport, the outdoors or building communities, knows this is not happening at a local authority level or in county development plans. Too much is dependent on a deal being made between a local community and a local developer to provide a pitch as part of a housing development. It is a nonsense. Communities are being failed as a result. In many places, the community facilities never materialise because they are promised and when the houses are delivered, the developer has left. We have to get this right. Too many communities have been failed. Along with Sinn Féin colleagues, I met representatives of the GAA. They spoke about the report published by the GAA, No One Shouted Stop - Until Now: The GAA's Response to Ireland's Demographic Shift. This is a document about rural depopulation and rural decline. It is also directly related to massive pressure in urban areas. The representatives spoke about the need for support for balanced rural development and its inclusion in planning policy frameworks. We need to strengthen frameworks. There was a reference to Britain having a 6-acre standard, which local authorities should deliver on. In regard to delivering facilities with the OPR, I welcome this aspect. There is a need to develop an all-island sporting facilities strategy, as is zoning for sport and recreation facilities, as well as funding for sport and recreation facilities. There are two major issues. One is that the planning rules and guidelines need to be improved. We have 4,000 schools in the State, and there is an ad hoc arrangement for getting access to their sporting and green spaces. This needs to be addressed.

I thank Deputy O'Rourke again for raising this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. In addition to the need to make provision for recreational facilities within statutory development plans, such facilities may also be funded by development contribution schemes, determined by elected members of each planning authority under section 48 of the Planning and Development Act 2000. Conditions attached to permissions requiring contributions to be made towards such schemes may include open spaces and recreational and community facilities. The Planning and Development Act 2024 recognises that recreational facilities are best supported through meaningful public participation in local development planning and decision-making. Effective planning is not solely about technical assessments or infrastructure co-ordination; it is also about ensuring communities have a genuine opportunity to shape the future of the places in which they live, work and raise their families. The Act strengthens the importance of engagement at all stages of the planning process, from the preparation of development plans and local area plans to consultation on individual planning applications and broader regeneration initiatives. As the provisions of the 2024 Act are commenced, meaningful community participation will remain a central element of a modern, democratic and plan-led system that seeks to deliver sustainable development and an improved quality of life for communities across Ireland. I note the points Deputy O'Rourke has raised. Dare I say it, but they are not just related to one Department. I have no doubt that he will be taking these up with those other Departments as well. I will bring the points the Deputy has raised here to the attention of the Minister, Deputy Browne, and the Department. I thank the Deputy again.