Aengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome these amendments, particularly that relating to community gardens. Many moons ago, when I was only a youngster, there were allotments in Sandymount opposite the Protestant church on St. John's Road. Bit by bit, the older men were leaving the allotments. This was not popular. There was a danger that the allotments would be taken over if they were let go to rack and ruin, which was happening at the time, so my mother persuaded me to take the allotment next to hers. She grew crops in Dublin all her life, right up to her passing.

The key issue here was that there was no protection in the end. People believed there was protection because the allotments were within the site of the church and that there was a legacy but nobody could find the deeds or whatever was intended. It is therefore important that, where there are allotments or community gardens, they are given some kind of protection. They are sometimes only a temporary visitation on an area. We have seen derelict sites being brilliantly populated by communities but then the owner or developer comes along and decides to develop, as is his or her right. If there are proper definitions of "community garden" and "allotment", we can then move towards making sure they will have those protections in the future and will not always be incidental to the wishes of the developer or, for that matter, the city council. The city council has, on occasion, allowed spare land to be used for allotments and then, five or six years later when the community is only getting used to the space, lo and behold, the council needs it for some different purpose and they are shifted. Sometimes they are not even shifted and are not replaced.

For instance, there is a very good allotment, community space, community garden and space where the community can enjoy themselves in Bluebell. A holistic approach is taken. If anybody would like to visit, there is a bungalow there that the council gave to the community and next to it are allotments and other spaces. Older people from the senior citizens' development come and plant flowers and everything else. It is a place to gather. Anyone who has worked on an allotment or in a community garden will know that a community spirit arises. People work together and appreciate nature, which is often forgotten about in the hustle and bustle. It is both a different approach and an oasis.

This is a good amendment. I see that the Minister has taken it on board further on but this is an appropriate place to position it because putting the definition here will mean that, when national and regional spatial plans and priority area plans are being considered, this will also have to be considered because it is within the definitions. I thank Deputies Ó Cathasaigh and Matthews for reminding us of this in the middle of the rest of the planning process because it is important. If you are leaving Dublin, when you get to the top of the canal, the canal goes on and you are onto the Naas Road from there all the way up to the Red Cow roundabout. That area is supposed to have 70,000 people living in it within the space of 15 or 20 years. We have not seen the plans. We get plans that refer to open spaces. Open space means open space; it does not necessarily mean that a section is committed to people growing anything. There is nothing to stop us planning and being innovative and using the space that is there, for example, on the roofs in the city, which still do not have solar panels on them. When planning buildings, there is nothing stopping people from using spaces on roofs to grow or to have a community garden. I hope that any plans in the future, such as the city-edge plan I am talking about, will include, along with the crèche facilities, playing fields and so on that are needed, community space in the form of allotments or community gardens.

There is an absolutely brilliant facility up in Cherry Orchard where there are community gardens. There are also community gardens on council land in Crumlin. What the community has managed to do there as regards solar-powered water pumps and the like is absolutely fabulous. They work hand in glove with others. Everyone in the association learns from each other. There are absolutely fabulous facilities popping up but I fear for some of them.

On the other amendment, while I do not know what the Minister will say when he speaks in a second, I would agree if he said that transport infrastructure should not be defined. I had a quick look at the amendment and there are large gaps in it. It does not mention canals, ports or rail. The intention behind putting reference to our path network and all of that in here, where we are talking about a national plan, is great. A bit of work could be done on that for the Seanad debates on the Bill. However, we should pass the amendment with the intention to add the parts that are missing because transport infrastructure is very important and we should ensure the inclusion of the key elements recognised here. They are not the only ones but they are key ones because they are often forgotten about. People think of the roads more quickly than they think of the paths, the cycle tracks and the likes.

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