Media statement – Irish Planning Institute – 4th October 2022 (1)

The Irish Planning Institute (IPI) has welcomed the release of the First Part of the Review by the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) of An Bord Pleanála (ABP). It makes eleven recommendations.

Commenting on the report, Gavin Lawlor, the Vice President of the IPI said: “The first recommendation is the immediate call for temporary board members, which the IPI requested the Minister to do in early September. We support the cessation of two person boards and the greater use of larger Boards to decide on more complex cases. The need to increase Board members to expedite decisions is essential, given the critical function of the Board in relation to the State. We welcome the report’s recognition of the important role the experienced inspectorate of the Board play. Additional staff in An Bord Pleanála will be required to give greater assistance to the Board. The IPI will engage in relation to these matters with the OPR review team in the second part of the review. Further support in relation to legal issues across the decision-making process will benefit the operations of the Board.

Finally, the recommendation to limit the Board’s ability to materially contravene development plans is only part of a wider reform.  The way that development plans are now written must be reset – the plans should be much more focused and not be overly prescriptive and long, so as planning can support our long-term goals, sustainable development and the common good.

The Institute also welcomes the subsequent publication by Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD of an Action Plan for An Bord Pleanála and the opportunity the current review of planning legislation provides to update arrangements. We welcome the capacity review proposed and the IPI will be consulting with its members on proposed new staff structures.

To restore public confidence in the Board, it is important to review and update processes around how potential or perceived potential conflicts of interest are dealt with. We consider the measures proposed by the Minister regarding the code of conduct to be practical. We are happy to continue to work with the Minister on behalf of our members to continue to improve how the Board delivers on its key roles. We also believe the proposal for a Director of Planning for Marine and Climate in ABP underlines nationally and internationally that Ireland is prepared to implement a robust regulatory framework for offshore wind energy.”