Cullen’s new planning strategy decoded

I’VE tried to interpret a recent Fianna Fáil press release so that it might make sense to the average mug in the street.

“The Minister for the Environment, Mr Martin Cullen, announced that he was seeking to introduce a standard planning service in an attempt to end regional disparities in the planning system.

While the minister will not seek uniform requirements for planning for developments such as rural one-off houses, this is an area he said he wants to see evened out to bring some coherence to the state’s planning system.” (Read: it will be open season for developers, and farmers selling sites because I’m taking over now.)