Engineers Ireland director general Caroline Spillane and past president Dr Kieran Feighan addressed the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme of the Land Development Agency Bill 2019.

They welcomed the general scheme of the bill which establishes the Land Development Agency (LDA) on a primary legislative basis.

Dr Kieran Feighan

However, they emphasised that “the LDA must have a strong legislative mandate, should be well governed and adequately resourced in terms of funding and expertise to grasp these opportunities for environmental, social and economic transformation”.

The Engineers Ireland representatives presented five recommendations for the bill:
1.) Clarity on institutional relationships
2.) A co-ordinated approach to infrastructure development
3.) Compulsory Purchase Order powers
4.) An explicit focus on developing sustainable communities and quality homes
5.) Resources and professional competence

You can read Engineers Ireland’s opening statement to the committee here and you can watch the playback of the proceedings here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/oireachtas-tv/video-archive/committees/2904/

For more information on the Land Development Agency and Engineers Ireland’s views on housing and infrastructure, read the State of Ireland 2019 report.