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The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien, the Minister of State for Planning and Local Government, Kieran O’Donnell, and the Minister of State for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, have welcomed the publication today (Thursday January 26) of the Draft Planning and Development Bill 2022.
The Bill, if enacted, will bring greater clarity, consistency and certainty to how planning decisions are made. It will make the planning system more coherent and user-friendly for the public and planning practitioners.
Among the main provisions in the Bill, the product of a 15-month review of the planning system led by the Office of the Attorney General, are:
Plans will be more strategic in nature. They will give a strong sense of what is being planned for particular areas before any planning applications emerge:
Housing for All, the government’s housing plan to 2030, committed to a comprehensive review and consolidation of planning legislation.
Welcoming the publication of the Draft Bill, Minister O’Brien said:
“Housing for All committed to undertake an overhaul of planning legislation to ensure that it is fit for purpose to meet the needs of our country, both in terms of the delivery of key infrastructure, such as housing and renewable energy, and in terms of its compliance and alignment between European and national law and between different tiers of plan-making. In developing this legislation, the government has been mindful of ensuring that public participation is safeguarded within our planning system and that members of the public can more clearly navigate planning legislation. This legislation will improve its accessibility and encourage the wider public to engage in the plan-making processes of their local towns and cities.
“Significantly, we are introducing a range of statutory timelines across the consenting processes, including for An Bord Pleanála for the first time. These will enhance confidence, transparency and consistency within the system. In line with this, timelines will also be included for the various steps in the Judicial Review process, including for pleadings, hearing of cases and delivery of judgements by the court. This too will give greater certainty for all involved in the Judicial Review process.”
Minister of State with responsibility for Local Government and Planning, Kieran O’Donnell, stated:
“This legislation modernises Ireland’s planning landscape and strikes the right balance between efficient delivery of key infrastructure like housing and renewable energy systems, with consideration of environmental and social impacts, informed by local public participation.
“A wide range of stakeholders from across a diverse range of sectors have informed this process through mechanisms such as the Planning Advisory Forum. This has helped to highlight the areas of commonality across a system seeking greater clarity, consistency and certainty, aims that will be delivered through this proposed legislation. I would like to thank all these stakeholders for their enthusiastic and active engagement with the process to date.”
Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage and Electoral Reform, Malcolm Noonan, stated:
“In the drafting of this legislation we have worked closely with our partners in the Department of the Environment and this Bill will bring increased clarity regarding environment assessments in the planning process and greater integration of the scope and role of environmental assessments into plan-making functions and the consenting process.
“Importantly, it will bring increased capacity for local authorities to utilise Compulsory Purchase Orders so that they can acquire vacant or derelict properties to develop for residential use themselves or to sell to homebuyers. The most sustainable home is the one already built and I believe this is a key element of the new planning legislation.”
Minister O’Brien has now formally requested pre-legislative scrutiny of the the Draft Bill by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Local Government and Heritage. This will commence over the coming weeks before proceeding before the Houses of the Oireachtas.
You can also access a policy guide to the new Draft Planning and Development Bill 2022.
Among the main provisions in the Bill, the product of a 15-month review of the planning system led by the Office of the Attorney General, are: