Majority of planners 'have no confidence in new planning bill' 

Nearly 80% of members of the Irish Planning Institute have expressed no confidence in the new planning bill.

Nearly 80% of members of the Irish Planning Institute have expressed no confidence in the new Planning and Development Bill, which is currently before the Oireachtas.

A survey carried out by the IPI, which represents more than 1,000 public and private planners in Ireland, and was published in February, found just 22% of the members who responded said they supported the legislation in its then current format.

In an update to members, the IPI said the results of the survey “reinforced the concerns” of its own council that key recommendations made by planners regarding the bill during pre-legislative scrutiny “were not taken on board”.

The planning bill, which was debated in the Dáil on Wednesday, has been 18 months in gestation and represents the largest overhaul of Ireland’s planning laws in 25 years.

However, it is has been subjected to widespread criticism from all sides, most notably with regard to its restriction of the right for citizens to take a judicial review of planning decisions they are unhappy with.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing said there had been “a significant number of amendments” made to the planning bill over the past 10 weeks, but acknowledged “not all matters raised by the IPI have directly resulted in changes to the bill”.

“There is much further work to be done and the minister and the department’s planning division look forward to constructive engagement with the IPI on matters such as the finalisation and commencement of the legislation and associated regulations,” they said.

Minister of State at the Department of Housing Malcolm Noonan acknowledged the changes to judicial review currently seen within the new law would not actually serve to reduce the number of legal actions. Picture: Gareth Chaney/ Collins 

Earlier on Wednesday, Gavin Lawlor, president of the IPI, told the institute’s annual conference in Waterford the planning bill “is not fit for purpose”.

“Our ambition is not to slow down the bill but to work with policy makers to get it right,” he said, adding the institute remained “convinced” the draft legislation requires further section-by-section consultation with practitioners.

“In expressing concerns about the bill we are not interested in headlines for the sake of headlines or looking for a few column inches, we’re instead looking to improve the bill in a constructive way,” Mr Lawlor said.

The IPI’s objections to the bill include that it is “tone deaf” to the staffing shortages in the sector, which emphasises “administration over implementation”.

The institute’s members are also of the opinion that far from reducing the amount of litigation seen in the planning sector by restricting access to judicial review, the bill will more likely “open up a wide range of potential new litigation, all with a negative impact for the efficient and effective operation of the planning system”.

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Earlier on Wednesday, the committee stage debate of the bill heard from Minister of State at the Department of Housing Malcolm Noonan, who acknowledged the changes to judicial review currently seen within the new law would not actually serve to reduce the number of legal actions being taken, but rather were aimed at “speeding up” the legal process.

However, when pressed on to what extent the legislation would quicken the system, Mr Noonan did not provide specifics.