2. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht if he will approve capital funding for a community centre in Citywest; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53391/26]

Sentiment score: 0.01

Citywest has been waiting for more than 20 years for a community centre. It was written into the local area plan in 2012. It was promised again when that plan was extended. It was made a binding condition of planning permission in 2018. Since then, nearly 4,000 homes have been built and hundreds more are now planned at Boherboy and there is still no community centre. The council's capital plan does not show any grant from the Minister's Department. Is that correct? Why not? Will the Minister engage with the council to make sure the centre opens next year as promised?

Sentiment score: 0.06

If you look up developer-led planning in a dictionary, I am sure you will find a picture of Citywest. It is quite incredible. It is one of the fastest growing communities in all of Ireland. Almost 4,000 homes have been built in a decade. More than 2,000 were built in just the last three years. What came with the houses? There is no community centre and no public crèche places. Families are on waiting lists for a long time across the area. There are no sports pitches. The couple of parks and playgrounds provided for tens of thousands of people are working overtime. Residents say they feel forgotten. They are absolutely right. This is just classic developer-led planning. It is about throwing up homes without providing facilities to allow people to integrate and build a community. The story of this community centre has been a saga. In 2018, it was made a condition of planning permission. The developer built the homes but the community centre was not developed. The latest is that something is now happening but the Minister's attention would assist with that.

Sentiment score: -0.02

This is not only an issue for South Dublin County Council. I obviously accept the point that an application for funding needs to be made if funding is to be granted. The reason Citywest has developed in the way it has, with homes but no adequate facilities, is the fast-track strategic housing development process. The local area plan, which included these kinds of requirements, was ignored. Developers went straight down the strategic housing development route, got permission for huge developments and then did not put in the facilities. They were sometimes promised. Community centres and crèches were often promised. They were often part of the planning permission. They ultimately were not delivered, however. The council previously said that the community centre would be delivered in June of this year. We are now in the middle of July and ground has not even been broken. I appeal to the Minister not to wash his hands of this, to engage with the council to track delivery and to make sure that this centre opens next year.

Sentiment score: 0.19