Micheál Martin says critics of planning reforms need to 'calm it'

Focus of bill is not to refuse 'access to justice', Taoiseach says

Taoiseach Micheál Martin said a key part of the bill is that it 'really prioritises the importance of planning at local level by councils'. File picture: Sasko LazarovRollingNews.ie

Critics of the Government's proposed overhaul of the country's planning laws need to "calm it" and avoid "kneejerk" reactions, the Taoiseach has said.

Housing Minister Darragh O'Brien received Cabinet approval this week for the draft Planning and Development Bill which, if enacted, will introduce sweeping changes to the planning system.

The bill will limit access to judicial reviews of planning decisions to individual members of the public, and not local resident associations, which has raised concerns among the Green Party. 

Green Party sources have indicated they will seek changes to the legislation before it is published in full or through the pre-legislative scrutiny phase.

Speaking in Brussels on Friday, Micheál Martin told the Irish Examiner the focus of the bill is not to refuse "access to justice" and called for people to "hold judgment and to read the bill when it's published in its entirety".

"The bill is a very comprehensive piece of legislation, the Government brought in external expertise, and the Attorney General led that with the Minister for Housing, Darragh O'Brien," he said.

He added a key part of the bill is that it "really prioritises the importance of planning at local level by councils", including sub-area plans and county development plans all "under the umbrella of the national planning framework".

"So if they get things right in the early phase in terms of zoning of areas, you should expedite the situation towards the latter end of a planning process."

On Wednesday, Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy told the Dáil that proposed changes to An Bord Pleanála, including the addition of political appointees to the new Planning Commission, were "a power grab", an accusation the Taoiseach said he "doesn't understand".

There's no power grab here. I think people need to calm it, because the issue here is do we want the planning system that's fit for purpose for the 21st century, or do we not? 

"Do we want to challenge climate change or do we not? I'm clear we will not be in a position to meet our climate change objectives if this planning bill doesn't go through. 

"The existing planning framework will not suffice in terms of getting various infrastructure works through, particularly in terms of offshore wind, for example, in the timeline that we require."

Mr Martin said Ireland needed to accelerate "the process in terms of housing" but said the bill actually increases access to justice by bringing in a cost regime for objections.

"The legislation allows for access for individuals. In fact, it improves access through the cost regime that's going to be introduced which will say to people you will not be taking on a risk if you go down the judicial route. 

"Individuals can and indeed, residents can also if they're incorporated, take cases so I think the reaction has been a bit kneejerk from what I can see."

Mr Martin said the bill will go through pre-legislative scrutiny in the Dáil and "will not be rushed". 

He said there would be "plenty of time" allocated in the Dáil for the bill to be debated.

The Taoiseach said a high number of judicial reviews was a sign of "symptomatic failure" in a planning system and that the bill aimed to keep issues within the planning system as much as possible.