‘Housing bill will dilute powers of councils’

The representative body of county councillors has expressed serious concern about a key section of new legislation proposed by Housing Minister Simon Coveney to solve the country’s growing housing crisis.

The Association of Irish Local Government claims the legislation, which is designed to fast-track the delivery of housing units, will dilute some of the powers of local authorities and will fail to speed up the granting of planning permission for large residential developments.

Although the AILG welcomed the Housing Miscellaneous Provisions Bill 2016 in general, it expressed “grave concerns” about a section which proposes the establishment of a strategic housing division within An Bord Pleanála.