New planning bill 'a waste of time' without resources, say planners

Gavin Lawlor of the Irish Planning Institute said that there is a Europe-wide shortage of qualified town planners.

The new Planning and Development Bill 2022 will be “a complete waste of time” unless planning bodies are properly resourced and current understaffing tackled, experts say.

Speaking about the draft legislation which aims to overhaul and streamline planning law in Ireland, Philip Jones of the Irish Planning Institute told the Oireachtas housing committee that understaffing was “the elephant in the room” and if resources are not provided then the new legislation would be a complete waste of time.