Vol. 576 No. 6
257 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment Heritage and Local Government when it is intended to amend the planning regulations to remove An Taisce from the list of prescribed bodies to which planning applications are referred by local authorities, in view of the fact that in every case in respect of rural housing an objection from An Taisce to An Bord Pleanála secures a refusal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30523/03]
Section 33 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provides that regulations regarding applications for permission may be made requiring, inter alia, that planning authorities must notify prescribed bodies of the receipt of certain classes of development. Article 28 of the Planning and Development Regulations 2001 lists the bodies prescribed for this purpose, which would include An Taisce.
An Taisce is not consulted on all planning applications. The organisation is given notice of planning applications only in circumstances where it appears to the planning authority that the proposed development might impact on matters such as areas of special amenity, protected structures, national monuments and nature conservation. The current list of bodies prescribed for the purposes of planning applications was set out in the 2001 regulations and is kept under review.
