Some sort of "closure" was needed in the planning process, Olivia Mitchell (FG, Dublin South) said.
In the past, the timescales for many projects had been open-ended, she added.
"Past projects have gone through endless appeals processes, only to end up in long-running court cases and, often, in Europe. Political failures are largely to blame for this problem, in that processes are not pushed to their limits for political reasons or because politicians hope objections will die away if they ignore the issue."
Welcoming the Planning and Development (Strategic Infrastructure) Bill, Ms Mitchell said the provision for a planning consent procedure represented a reasonable approach to the matter. But safeguards were also essential.
Ms Mitchell said there must be a new way to inform the people directly affected about what was planned for their area so they could have their say.
Peter Kelly (FF, Longford-Roscommon) appealed to deputies to look sympathetically on planning applications for one-off houses from those who wished to settle down and live with their families.
"Members of the Dáil have a duty and an obligation to provide housing for people. People who are prepared to provide housing for themselves should be encouraged in every way."
Finian McGrath (Independent, Dublin North Central) said the reality of "sleaze and corruption in politics", relating to planning, must be faced by members of the House.
"It has led to much cynicism in public life and to the failure of citizens of good quality to turn out to vote at elections."
John Gormley (Green Party, Dublin South East) said he knew of many residents who were now being charged for making very sensible submissions on planning issues. "It seems they are being charged illegally as the European Commission takes a different view and has asked the Government not to charge those fees for a submission."
Ruairí Quinn (Labour, Dublin South East) said the Government should have established a department of infrastructure instead of the Department of Transport.
"We should have had a Minister with responsibility for infrastructure, and a spatial plan for the whole of the country, and not the spatial strategy which has been published and subsequently ignored, as we saw in the disastrous decentralisation argument."
