Decision details

Motion from Councillor Sean McGowan:

Decision Maker: Leitrim County Council

Decision status: For Determination

Is Key decision?: No

Is subject to call in?: No

Decisions:

To consider the following Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Sean McGowan;

 

"I ask the Chief Executive, if the establishment of the Land Development Agency (LDA) may override our own policies & decision making here in Leitrim in chartering our own way forward for the benefit of those on our housing list. What benefits / risks are there with the establishment of this body for counties like Leitrim?"

 

Report by Director of Services, Housing and Community, Corporate Services, Cultural and Emergency Services

 

"The Land Development Agency (LDA) Bill 2021 proposes to establish the Land Development Agency (LDA) on a statutory basis and sets out the core goals of the LDA to undertake strategic land assembly and fully utilise state lands to build affordable homes and sustainable communities. The LDA have indicated that the LDA Bill will provide a legislative grounding for one of its key strategies of partnering and collaborating with local authorities.

The LDA will focus initially on public lands in towns of over 10,000 people. The Bill provides that the LDA will periodically report to Government on public lands which could be suitable for housing or urban development and the Government may direct that such lands be transferred to the LDA. The Bill also provides that the LDA will have first refusal to purchase public lands being put up for sale.

Under the LDA Bill the Minister for Housing will specify an affordability requirement for the delivery of affordable homes for sale or rent on public lands. This affordability requirement can be varied on sites in different areas depending on local housing needs.

The LDA can provide services to local authorities for the development of large-scale multi-tenure sites for housing and urban development in urban centres over 30,000. This will assist with the construction of increased social housing on local authority owned sites.

The benefits are that the LDA may in the future bring forward land within County Leitrim for the development of Social and Affordable Housing from public bodies that may not have been utilised.

 

The Bill contains a provision relating to local authority land.  Under Part 7, Section 56 provides that Section 211(2) of the Planning and Development Act 2000 and Section 183 of the Local Government Act 2001 shall not apply to the disposal of land owned by a local authority to the Agency.

 

The bill is currently before Dail Eireann - 2nd stage."

 

Councillor Sean McGowan said the initial focus of the Land Development Agency is on public lands in towns over 10,000 people and he said this is an erosion of powers of Elected Members.  Councillor Sean McGowan said he opposed Section 49 and Section 56 of the Bill and proposed that these two sections be deleted.  Councillor Sean McGowan said the Local Authority Members Association are opposed to this.

 

Councillor Padraig Fallon supported the motion and said it initially may not have much of an impact for Leitrim but may have at a later date.

 

Councillor Paddy O’Rourke supported the motion.

 

Councillor Thomas Mulligan said that the Association of Irish Local Government of which he is a member of are very much opposed to this.

Report author: Councillor Sean McGowan

Publication date: 05/05/2021

Date of decision: 01/03/2021

Decided at meeting: 01/03/2021 - Leitrim County Council