Help Needed for Proposed Planning & Development Bill 2023

Earlier this week we became aware of changes proposed in the proposed Planning & Development Bill. The Bill, as it currently stands, would do the following: 

• Remove the definition of an allotment (note: community gardens were never defined).

• Remove the role of local authorities to reserve land for communities to grow vegetables or fruit.

• Remove the role of local authorities to promote, facilitate or control the provision of land for that use. 

If passed under the current wording, the Bill will mean that all current 2500 allotments and community gardens provided by local authorities will have no legal framework, and the role of local authorities in providing space or promoting or even facilitating use for communities to grow their own would be severely weakened. Communities ultimately would suffer as local authorities would have less obligation to help. 

Upon discovering this we immediately got in contact with all members of the Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government & Heritage to outline how we are completely opposed to these changes. 

Community Gardens Ireland presented to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government & Heritage in March 2022 on this exact point, and how increased protection is required rather than less. 

We also highlighted that Ireland currently provides fewer community growing spaces than 100 years ago, along with providing far fewer spaces compared to other European countries. 

We received responses from a large number of the Oireachtas Committee members, and we will be making a submission formally to the committee in the coming days. We will be seeking the committee members’ support to put definitions & roles of local authorities back into the proposed Bill, but cannot do it alone. 

Please contact your TD or Senator and highlight how you are opposed to the changes highlighted above in the proposed Bill. A draft email to change is detailed in the comments below. 

Full link to the proposed bill can be found here. 

The current Planning & Development Act 2010 is here. 

Thank you! 

Dónal McCormack 

Chairperson Community Gardens Ireland

———- 

Dear Deputy/Senator, 

I hope all is well. 

I’m writing to you in relation to the Planning and Development Bill 2022 and the negative impact it will have on community gardens and allotments in Ireland.

I was shocked to see that the proposed bill has removed the requirement for local authorities to reserve land for communities to use for cultivation as allotments. The regulation, promotion and facilitation of the use of this land is proposed to be removed, along with even the definition of an allotment. 

If passed under the current wording, this bill will mean that all current 2500 allotments and community gardens provided by local authorities will have no legal framework, and the role of local authorities in providing allotments or community gardens will be severely weakened. Communities would suffer as local authorities would have less obligation to provide land for this. 

All 2500 local authority provided allotments and community gardens throughout Ireland would be under threat under the proposed bill as there would be no provision for local authorities to reserve land for this purpose.

Community Gardens Ireland presented to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government & Heritage in March 2022 on this exact point, and how increased protection is required rather than less: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/joint_committee_on_housing_local_government_and_heritage/2022-03-01/2/ 

We also highlighted that Ireland currently provides fewer community growing spaces than 100 years ago, along with providing far fewer spaces compared to other European countries: https://cgireland.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Community-Gardens-Ireland_Lets-Get-Growing.pdf

Community gardens and allotments are one of the most popular and attainable ways the people of Ireland can help in achieving the climate goals to which we, as a nation, are committed. Removing this planning goal will only make attaining these more difficult.

I am completely opposed to the removal of definitions and Section 13 of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010 from the Planning and Development Bill 2022: 

‘allotment’ means an area of land comprising not more than 1,000 square metres let or available for letting to and cultivation by one or more than one person who is a member of the local community and lives adjacent or near to the allotment, for the purpose of the production of vegetables or fruit mainly for consumption by the person or a member of his or her family;

“13. Reserving land for use and cultivation as allotments and regulating, promoting, facilitating or controlling the provision of land for that use.”

We ask you to contact your party colleagues on the Joint Oireachtas Committee of Housing, Local Government & Heritage along with Minister Darragh O’Brien, Minister Kieran O’Donnell & Minister Malcolm Noonan to voice your support and highlight the importance of reinstating the requirements for local authorities to reserve land for community growing purposes & definitions in the revised Planning and Development Bill 2022. 

Please let me know if you require any additional information on this. 

Best regards,

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