GREEN PARTY LEADER Roderic O’Gorman said a party TD made a ‘legitimate’ objection to over 300 houses near his home, as the plans were in “breach” of the local area layout.

The Irish Independent first reported that Green TD and candidate for Dublin-South West Francis Noel Duffy objected to plans for 330 homes to be built next to his home with the primary grievance being that the development “overlooks out kitchen”.

Duffy, who is the Green Party’s housing spokesperson, also said that blueprints for the housing estate were not in line with the 2014 Ballycullen-Oldcourt Local Area Plan and 2016 Development Plan. A High Court ruling later overturned the permission. 

Speaking to reporters this morning, at an event where Duffy was meant to be present, O’Gorman said the reason that people object to housing under local area and development plans was to insure that “good-quality housing” is delivered.

O’Gorman said: “In this situation, Francis identified that what was being proposed for this area didn’t meet the criteria of a local area plan. An Bord Pleanála’s inspector actually agreed with that particular point.

“So I think it is legitimate, where a proposal doesn’t meet the planning rules that have been put in an area, that somebody living in that area – and Francis does live in that area – can make a submission in to the local authority,” he added.

In Duffy’s submission, the government TD acknowledged that housing was going to be built on the site at some point – as the land had been zoned for residential property. He also disagreed with the height and density of the plans.

Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman says he believes party TD Noel Francis Duffy made a ‘legitimate’ objection to 330 homes in the Ballycullen-Oldcourt area. Duffy, who was meant to be present at today’s media briefing, is out canvassing this morning instead @thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/72lomeHUXn

— Muiris Ó Cearbhaill (@muirisoc) November 16, 2024

Asked by The Journal if it was appropriate for a government TD to object to these plans – particularly as his party pushed back against a proposal to waive the so-called land hoarding tax - O’Gorman repeated that he believed Duffy’s submission was legitimate.

The Green party leader added: “Look, the law doesn’t limit any member of the Oireachtas from engaging in the planning system.
“We just passed a new Planning Bill, and I suppose if there was a societal view that TDs or councilors shouldn’t engage, that could have been done there, but no one raised that issue.”
O’Gorman said he believed that it would remain the case that TDs, senators and councillors could object to the plans.

Duffy spent the morning canvassing in Dublin South-West, according to O’Gorman, and made the “political decision” to sit out the party’s media briefing on disability policy.

The Green’s leader said that his party would increase funding for disability care by 25% every year, if elected into government again, and listed his achievements as the minister responsible for the subject.

Asked if he supported ideas by the Social Democrats to establish a ministerial role solely for disability, O’Gorman said there already was a senior minister responsible for the portfolio and that the outgoing government worked hard to establish the position.

“I wish I’d had more time,” O’Gorman admitted and said that while the government were able to increase investment, there’s more work to do.

“I think it’s really important that we continue to have, in the next Dáil, a senior minister for disability,” he said, adding that disability advocacy groups have supported his role and have acknowledged the difference it has made.

He said that he would not like to see the portfolio be ‘slammed’ back into the remit of the Department of Health under the next government.