An Bord Pleanála facing legal challenges despite slump in building

An Bord Pleanála is facing as many legal challenges now as it did during the building boom, with a growing proportion of its decisions being taken for judicial review.

The planning appeals board is also spending more on legal fees than when construction was at its peak despite its caseload being down 70% on 2007.

Some of the judicial reviews are a hangover from busier times but the board has noted a “significant increase in the rate of legal challenges in 2013 and 2014”.