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THE GOVERNMENT HAS approved a “comprehensive” review of Ireland’s planning legislation in a bid to boost the delivery of the national housing strategy.
Cabinet this evening signed off on the review, to be overseen by the Attorney General, which is due for completion in September next year.
The Government has also approved a review of the country’s Freedom of Information legislation, which came under scrutiny in the recent controversy over Katherine Zappone’s appointment as a UN envoy.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said the the country’s planning laws need “a complete overhaul” to deliver on the targets set out in the Housing For All strategy.
He said: “When we published Housing for All earlier in the month, I reiterated my view that housing is the single most urgent and important social issue facing our country at this time and that I am determined that we as a Government get to grips with it.
“We also committed that the Housing for All plan would be underpinned by accountability and a strong delivery focus.
“This large-scale planning reform programme, which will bring about fundamental improvements to our planning laws, reflects the approach we are taking overall, with challenging deadlines and a truly cross-Government approach to delivery of Housing for All’s objectives and other major plans.
“Our planning laws need a complete overhaul to meet the ambition outlined in Housing For All.
“Streamlining and simplifying the planning laws will support the accelerated delivery of housing set out under the Housing for All plan.”
The Housing For All plan promises to deliver 33,000 housing units each year over the next decade, in a mix of social, affordable and private developments for sale and rent.
But the plan was criticised at a Simon Communities conference earlier this week, with experts describing it as “unrealistic”.
A Government press release said planning legislation had become “overly complicated and difficult to navigate, contributing to significant delays and additional costs in the delivery of housing.
“The planning legislation review sanctioned by the Government today is of an unprecedented scale, using experts in planning law under the supervision of the Attorney General, to improve our planning laws,” the statement said.
The Cabinet has also signed of on a review of the Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation.
Public Expenditure Minister Michael McGrath said: “The FOI system is central to transparency and ensuring the public has confidence in the administration of the State.
“For the system to work effectively, members of the public and media need to be able to access information from public bodies.
“Since the current FOI legislation was enacted in 2014, we have witnessed major innovations in communications technology.
“While these have been broadly positive, they have transformed the ways in which individuals and public bodies interact with each other and it therefore represents a challenge to the existing FOI system.
“It is for this reason that a comprehensive review of the FOI framework is timely.
“This review will seek out ways in which the FOI model can be brought up to date to ensure that it is suitable for today’s needs.”
A road map is to be published by the minister’s department in the coming weeks, setting out the process for the review.
The housing for all plan is just gibbbydouk. Imo.
@Paul Gorry: “Government approves ‘comprehensive’ review…….into whether Ernie & Bert from Sesame Street were lovers. :-)
@Paul Gorry: Why didnt Haughey, Reynolds, Ahern, Bruton and Kenny do it? Because to do so would damage them and their rich property owner friends!!! That’s the real scandal. Ireland has been run by oligarchs for a long time and we have ignored their self enriching actions.
Oh really?? A “comprehensive” review,, well that’s that sorted so….. Jesus wept.
Massively needed. Good news!
Hopefully now we see some building upwards, some density and some realistic planning laws.
@Local Ore: how can itt be good news….it’s just a review we all know nothing will really change after a 26 months a a few million spent on consultants
@David cotter: I don’t disagree that this is just another review that will run and it’s very likely nothing will come of it but at least it’s something.
I don’t believe there is a world where any review would recommend the same, massively outdated, planning laws at least
@Local Ore: there are no tradesmen, end of.
@Ian James Burgess: or reasonably priced materials available
@Ian James Burgess: More than enough from Europe willing to come and work.
@Aranthos Faroth: and live where?, there are no houses…like that song, there’s a hole in the bucket dear Liasa
@Aranthos Faroth: with an improving economy in Eastern Europe and the cost of living in Ireland, I say not as many as before. Also bad for Irish tradesmen as they’ll drive prices down like they did before.
We know about planning, we had the Mahon Tribunal. Corruption all round.
When you see some of the very high density developments in out of town areas (with few if any facilities) you have to wonder what’s driving decisions in an Bord Pleanála. Planning appears to be a dark art in Ireland and in total need of transparent and deep reform.
@CONOR: Governments in Ireland need to address the fact that strategy in this area has not worked. Build a large scale social housing development but designed as a community, with all the resources factored in at the planning stage like schools and shops, transportation and education, recreation open spaces etc etc. It will be cheaper for the taxpayer and better for the residents. Ballyfermot for the 22st century. Developments of 1500 1 bed build to rent apartments is not the way to address this. Build people homes in communities. Not just this government’s fault by the was, policy failures for decades but the proposed solutions of high density on every corner is not the way forward
Any chance they would talk some sense into Clare County Council and the absolute nonsense that’s going on with Blake’s Corner in Ennistymon and the most ridiculous bottle neck stifling tourism in West Clare. Instead of removing a pile of rubble, they propose to spend 4 million of taxpayers money building a new route knocking several houses and one viable business. Jesus wept.
As the Titanic was sinking the Captain of the ship approved a comprehensive review of the deckchair allocation system.
Jasus is there no end to this bulls hite.
It’s what Martin and other career politicans have always done, refer the issue at hand to be reviewed by a committee. It enables him to sub contract the problem to a committee who’ll take years to come back with their findings. The lad can’t make a decision or give an honest answer on anything.
The government just want to fix the planning laws in favour of big developers building high rent apartments. And how can the freedom of information act be fix if some people get away with deleting messages and destroying documents..
@Odd Socks: yes the review will recommend making it easier for big developers to get planning permission while simultaneously making it far more difficult for the individual to get planning.
Watch this space. They have been putting up barriers to people building by direct labour for years.
This is not a government for the people.
Yesterday he announced a review of patients waiting lists and today a review of planning laws. Wonder what soundbite he will come out with tomorrow. He is just ticking the boxes.
More time lost. Wasn’t the SHD process supposed to address such issues??
@Eoin Roche: it was but as bord pleanala were judge and jury then judicial reviews became the only appeal option. The planning system overall as a result is bogged down in legal argument where planning decisions themselves rather that the process of determination of decisions are coming under scrutiny by judges who are not planners. Frivolous Third party rights of appeal and endless court battles are not good for getting things done
Let’s have a review about the review about the review!
A government run on hot air by useless baloons.
They’re still hiding the report into planning corruption in Donegal. They’re up to their necks in it and trying to pull the wool. Anyone with connections or damning information will be untouched.
It was 2002 when Gerard Convie, senior planner with Donegal County Council made allegations about a “golden circle of corruption” operated within the planning system in Donegal.
https://www.friendsoftheirishenvironment.org/eu/36-papers-today/planning/16851-
When Letterkenny General Hospital flooded in 2014. Planning was the main issue. It’s even being reported the same company behind manufacturing pyrite blocks also were involved in the Meenbeg wind farm environment disaster.
Elections come ff/fg will be gone….then a new government with a new plan,goes on and on
Great, start with the nonsense local planning laws that stop ‘non locals’ from buying land and building houses unless there living there 7 years. Madness that you can’t buy land anywhere on the Island and apply for planning unless your from there. Any citizen should be able to buy and build wherever they want subject to the same rules. Or, to level the playing field don’t allow rural people to relocate to urban centres and own property as ‘they’re not local’. Effectively corrals people into souless overpriced housing estates
Whatever is needed must be implemented. Soft rules must be broken!!
Classless photo.
How long have we waited for this? Amazing the energy that gets put behind plans and words when the poll’s are not doing what they are supposed to do. “They” had ample opportunity to deliver a fit for purpose housing plan and failed to deliver over the decades. Asleep at the wheel or lining their own pockets?
Haha
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