The Minister for Children will now have more authority to object to developers who try to turn much-needed creches into residential housing.
Current Minister for Children Norma Foley will now be designated as a prescribed body under planning laws, which means she can object to any planning applications that could have an effect on the provision of childcare.
It is the first time that childcare has been given such priority under planning laws, with previous prescribed bodies including environmental or transport organisations.
Planning rules require developers to include a creche facility with 20 childcare places for every 75 homes built in an estate.
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But many buildings which had been earmarked as creches are lying empty or being turned into houses, as developers seek permission to drop commitments to provide childcare facilities in large estates.
Foley had previously warned that planning laws “require updating” to make sure appropriate childcare infrastructure is being delivered.
Minister for Housing James Browne has confirmed that the Minister for Children will now be designated as a prescribed body under planning laws. According to a parliamentary response from Foley, it means she or her successors will have to be notified by local authorities of any planning applications “that might give rise to a change in the demand for early learning and childcare provision”.
It is understood this will include any new housing developments of 75 homes or more, which are likely to increase local demand for childcare. It will also include applications from developers to change the use of buildings previously designated as creches into residential houses.
It will be the first time that the Government collects information on such change-of-use applications. Until now the only way for the Department of Children to monitor the number of childcare facilities being converted into houses was a manual search of planning applications.
It is understood Foley will now be able to object with “greater weight” to such change-of-use applications. It means that the effect on the provision of childcare will have a greater influence in planning decisions.
Foley was replying to a parliamentary question from Fine Gael TD Emer Currie. Currie said the move “begins to address a long-standing issue properly integrating childcare into the planning system, something I have been raising for a long time.”
“Right now, childcare simply isn’t being taken seriously enough in how we plan our communities,” she said.
Currie said she could point to housing developments in her own constituency which were “built without adequate childcare provision. We’ve seen childcare units constructed but left empty because they are not viable for providers, and even cases where promised creches were never delivered.
“Childcare is essential infrastructure. It should be treated with the same level of scrutiny and expertise as any other critical service,” she said.
