Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 September 2014
1501. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views that the granting of planning permission for the conversion of small apartments to suitable sized homes for young families should be fast-tracked. [33291/14]
View answerSection 34(8) of the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, provides that a planning authority shall make its decision on a planning application within the period of 8 weeks beginning on the date of receipt by the planning authority of the application. Accordingly, planning authorities normally decide planning application within 8 weeks, unless further information is required.
Where an appeal is lodged with An Bord Pleanála in relation to a planning decision by a local authority, the Board has a statutory objective under section 126(2) of the Act of 2000 to determine the matter within 18 weeks. The compliance rate with the statutory objective period for normal planning appeals stood at 81% for the period January to August 2014, and the average time taken was 16 weeks.
I do not consider these timeframes unduly long.
Construction 2020, A Strategy for a Renewed Construction Sector, published in May 2014, acknowledges that, there are existing planning permissions for developments – whether residential, commercial or industrial - that have become unviable due to developments in the market but, nevertheless might with modification - for example to change the number of apartments vis-à-vis ‘own door’ houses in a given residential scheme - be able to proceed. As further stated in the Strategy, while it is important that third parties, including other local residents, have the opportunity to have their voices heard in relation to such modifications, my Department will examine whether there is scope to provide a more streamlined process for certain alterations of planning permission in relation to developments of this kind.
