Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 November 2020
402. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the progress made to date in preparing the planning and development (amendment) Bill which is on the legislative priority list for publication this session; when it is hoped to publish this legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37014/20]
View answerThe Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (the Act) introduced new streamlined arrangements to enable planning applications for strategic housing developments (SHDs) of 100 housing units or more, or student accommodation or shared accommodation developments of 200 bed spaces or more, to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála for determination.
The primary purpose of the SHD arrangements is to significantly speed up the planning decision-making process, thereby providing greater certainty for developers in terms of the timeframes within which proposals for such developments can be determined in the planning system, while also fully respecting the statutory requirements for consultation and having regard to observations submitted.
A review of the SHD arrangements was carried out in 2019. This review particularly highlighted that while they had generally been a success in providing a fast-track development consent process for developers of large-scale housing developments, the number of SHD permissions that have commenced development is less than might have been expected.
In this regard, with a view to influencing the earlier activation of housing related planning permissions, the new Programme for Government – Our Shared Future commits to introducing a "use it or lose it" condition for all planning permissions of ten housing units or more. My Department is presently progressing the drafting of the necessary legislation providing for the introduction of the proposed new "use it or lose it" housing-related planning arrangements. This will be progressed over the coming months.
Since the Autumn Legislative programme was published, the Covid-19 element of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill is now being progressed as an emergency stand-alone Bill (the Planning and Development Bill 2020). It is hoped that this separate emergency legislation will be published as soon as possible.
The substitute consent element of the Bill is subject to ongoing legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General and it may also be progressed in a separate Bill in due course.
