Cullen aims to streamline planning system and make it ‘people-oriented’

A STANDARD planning application system that would end all regional disparities is proposed by Environment Minister Martin Cullen for early next year.

The aim of the system is to streamline the current 80,000 planning applications nationwide and make the system more “people orientated”. And the minister also hopes to have an online nationwide planning application system up and running by early next year.

“The planning process can often seem very mysterious and complicated to applicants - collectively these proposals go some way to simplifying the process,” said Mr Cullen.

The current outdated planning practices have led to disappointment, frustration and expense, and Ireland needs an efficient planning system that can keep pace with economic growth, the minister said.

While he will not seek uniform requirements for planning for developments such as rural one-off houses, he wants to get rid of the current unnecessary bureaucracies and outdated practices that slow down the system. A county border should not be the determining factor in the planning process and the use of a single nationwide application form will bring greater clarity, said Mr Cullen.

And he also believes it is very important to have internet delivery of all public services.

“We tax our car on the internet, bank on the internet, book flights on the internet, so there is no reason why we should not have the option to apply for planning on the internet,” Mr Cullen added.

Some local authorities have taken steps towards this, but the level of progress is different across the country. The minister said he will announce a timeframe for the on-line planning services later this year.

While the streamlined planning system will deliver better customer service, the minister said they have received complaints about the planning regulations brought in two years ago.

People have found they are too bureaucratic and loaded with administrative obstacles for both those applying for permission and those checking files.

The minister said it is time to look at the current system and see if it can be improved. “We have got to strive towards achieving a planning system that ensures the applicant is the first, not the last person to know what is going on. I believe that these proposals can help achieve this goal,” Mr Cullen added.

The draft proposals can be viewed on the department’s website at www.environ.ie. And the public are free to comment before the proposal is finalised in the autumn.