Minister Browne and Minister Cummins announce amendments to Planning Act to speed up the impact of new Judicial Review provisions
- Foilsithe:
- An t-eolas is déanaí: 28 Samhain 2025
The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD and the Minister of State for Local Government and Planning John Cummins TD today welcomed Cabinet approval for a General Scheme of a Bill to make amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2024.
Amongst other measures, this General Scheme will pave the way for legislation that will allow for even earlier benefits from the new planning Judicial Review processes introduced over the summer, by extending those provisions to decisions made or acts done under the previous legislation (the 2000 Planning and Development Act).
Crucially, this includes measures such as the removal of the requirement to apply for ‘leave’ to apply for Judicial Review proceedings, enables a case to be remitted back to the point at which a procedural breach may have occurred, as an alternative to the whole case having to be quashed and removes the possibility of further legal appeal to the Court of Appeal, all of which reduce time and remove unnecessary additional legal costs to all parties.
Minister for Housing James Browne said:
“I am determined to do everything in my power to speed up planning and cut down on any unnecessary delays. Today’s important decision by the Government will pave the way for primary legislation to be brought forward as early as possible in 2026 that will remove barriers in the planning process and, ultimately, speed up housing delivery.
“We want a robust and fair system, a transparent system, and ultimately a system that works to deliver homes.
“This work will run in parallel with the on-going implementation and commencement of the 2024 Act, which has continued throughout this year, with a further Commencement Order, the 5th this year, to be operational before the end of 2025.”
Minister of State John Cummins emphasised:
“By bringing forward these reform measures, we are taking decisive action to reduce unnecessary delays and accelerate the delivery of critical decisions. This decision will shorten timelines, improve certainty and ensure essential projects are not unduly held back by procedural obstacles.”
The Bill to make amendments to the Planning and Development Act 2024 also seeks to focus resources and capacity across the planning system in the short term on the move to plan-making and expedite these processes by:
- clarifying the focus and extent of any review of (i.e. removing the need for full review of) the Regional Spatial and Economic Strategies;
- allowing planning authorities to extend the development plans that are currently in force, while also making the necessary variations to take account of the updated Housing Growth Requirements Guidelines set out in the National Planning framework earlier this year and provided for in an Amendment Act over the summer; and
- ensuring that future development plan reviews are carried out only under the Act of 2024.
The Bill also amends the criteria for the designation of a “Key Town” to include towns with a population of 10,000 or more, in addition to the current criteria set out in the 2024 Act.
ENDS