Councillors 'cannot support' Government's proposed Land Development Agency bill 

Councillors fear their role in local planning could be eroded by the bill

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien said the bill is 'not an attack on local government at all' and that he believes local government will be the main driver of public housing in the future. Picture: Stephen Collins /Collins Photos Dublin

Councillors cannot support the Government's proposed Land Development Agency bill as it is currently written, a representative group will tell an Oireachtas committee on Tuesday.

The joint Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage will meet to discuss the bill, which will put the LDA on a legislative footing, but parts of it have been dubbed "dangerously undemocratic". Under the bill, councils will be able to transfer State lands to the LDA without a vote from councillors.

Fianna Fáil councillor Mary Hoade, who is  president of the Association of Irish Local Government (AILG), will tell the meeting  councillors fear their role in planning could be eroded by the bill.

"AILG and our members are concerned that the bill, in its proposed form, will lead to the curbing of some of the reserved functions of councillors particularly in relation to... the reserved function of our members in relation to the disposal of local authority-owned land.

"The association is concerned that this will result in the transfer of local authority land to a centralised agency, unaccountable to the local public representatives. 

"As a national representative body we can never support or accept any removal of reserved functions and powers from our elected members and we would ask that this section of the bill be removed."

Ms Hoade will also tell the meeting councillors fear that local development plans will be overtaken by the wishes of the LDA, which the Government will capitalise with €1.25bn, with a further €1.25bn coming in loans.

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien has said the bill is "not an attack on local government at all" and that he believes local government will be the main driver of public housing in the future.

Speaking in Dublin on Monday, he said he wants to see the LDA "starting to deliver real homes".

"What we have now is nine sites that can deliver up to 5,000 homes, so I see the LDA partnering with the local authorities on larger sites.

"What I'm focused on is getting the State back building – building affordable homes."