Government to increase planning board members to reduce case backlog

The current approved staffing level for An Bord Pleanála is 313, but as of the end of July, there are 275 people employed within the organisation — including board members.

The Government is to increase the number of board members appointed to An Bord Pleanála, as the body continues to face a backlog of planning cases.

Darragh O’Brien, the housing minister, has confirmed that he is temporarily increasing the number of ordinary members on the board of An Bord Pleanála from 14 to 17, saying that it would help further reduce the backlog of cases.

An Bord Pleanála, which was rocked by a series of controversies in 2022, has faced difficulties in reducing the overall backlog of cases, largely due to a staffing shortage at board level.

Figures released in July showed that the planning authority had just under 1,100 planning decisions that had been left outstanding for more than four months.

Statistics also showed that 998 planning appeals, which had passed the 18-week statutory deadline for decision, had yet to be decided at the end of May.

In addition to the expansion, Mr O’Brien confirmed that eight new full members of the board have also been appointed, with the individuals due to take up the positions from September 2.

In the first six months of the year, there have been a total of 1,865 planning cases decided by the authority. 

The Department of Housing is hoping that normal operations can be restored by the end of 2024.

The former chair of An Bord Pleanála, Oonagh Buckley, said the backlog would remain without sufficient staffing.

The current approved staffing level for An Bord Pleanála is 313, but as of the end of July, there are 275 people employed within the organisation — including board members.

Mr O’Brien accepted that the board has been through a “challenging period”, but he believes it has now reached a period of stability.

“With these eight full-term appointments now confirmed, I expect that trend of increased decision making will continue and that the primary focus of the board will be on clearing the backlog in the short to medium term,” Mr O’Brien said.

A spokesperson for the Department of Housing added that the increase in board headcount will allow temporary board members to assist new full members until their tenure expires at the end of the year.

The planning body itself faces overall reform, with the Government’s new planning legislation set to rejig the organisation into An Coimisiún Pleanála.