Almost 480 planning applications yet to be decided after one year

An Bord Pleanála is experiencing a staffing crisis after a year of controversy that saw the loss of its chairperson and deputy chairperson. Picture: Niall Carson/PA Wire

Embattled planning authority An Bord Pleanála has 479 planning applications that have been waiting more than a year to be decided upon.

The planning authority is experiencing a staffing crisis after a year of controversy that saw the loss of its chairperson and deputy chairperson.

Ordinarily, planning applications should be decided upon within 18 weeks, but hundreds are now waiting more than a year due to a large backlog of cases.

New figures released to Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin show that as of the end January, An Bord Pleanála had 2,676 planning applications outstanding on its hands.

Sinn Féin housing spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has urged Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien to 'agree a multi-annual workforce plan' with An Bord Pleanála. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins 

Some 2,197 of those applications were outstanding for less than a year, with 1,719 relating to normal planning appeals, 93 for the soon-to-be-defunct strategic housing development (SHD) process, and 112 for strategic infrastructure projects.

It is unclear how many of the 2,197 applications have passed the expected decision time limit of 18 weeks.

However, 401 of the applications had been on hand for between one and two years, and 31 of them had been outstanding for between two and three years.

Some 38 applications remained undecided after more than five years.

Of that figure, 24 of the long-term outstanding applications relate to strategic infrastructure developments — construction deemed to be of key importance to the infrastructure or economic wellbeing of the State.

Lack of staff

A spokesperson for An Bord Pleanála suggested that “in many cases, the reasons for the length of time taken does not rest with the board, for example, if further information has been sought from an applicant and that takes time to compile”.

However, Mr Ó Broin said the information released is more indicative of the ongoing struggle to source key personnel for the planning departments.

It is patently clear from the information that ABP has provided that they simply don’t have an adequate number of staff or board members to process decisions in a timely manner,” he said.

He said it was now incumbent on Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien to “engage with the interim chair of the board and agree a multi-annual workforce plan”.

He said such a plan would be necessary to deal with both the “very considerable” backlog of delayed decisions, but also to handle what will be an increased number of large-scale residential developments and offshore wind farm applications in the coming years.

At the Oireachtas housing committee last month, Oonagh Buckley, the temporary chairwoman of ABP, said between 700 and 800 cases before the authority have inspectors’ reports which have already been signed off on but which have not been finalised, as there are not enough board members to do so.

Ms Buckley, who took over from former chairman Dave Walsh after he departed last October in the wake of a series of scandals that had rocked the board, said ABP needs a workforce of roughly 300, about 90 more than its current level.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing said ABP received approval for 34 additional posts last December, primarily relating to the expertise required for marine planning decisions.

An Bord Pleanála said it was “currently recruiting” for a number of posts.