asked the Minister for the Environment if he will amend the planning regulations to require local authorities to publish planning notices rather than having them published on an individual basis.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Planning Regulation Notices.
8.
I have no proposals to introduce such a requirement. In addition to the normal requirement as to publication of notice of intention to make a planning application either in a newspaper circulating in the district or by the erection of a notice on the land or structure, article 24 of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Regulations 1977 provides by way of supplemental requirements that notice of every planning application and of the date of its receipt shall be published by a planning authority by inclusion in a weekly list of which copies—(a) shall be made available to the members of the authority in such manner as they may by resolution direct; (b) shall be displayed in or at the offices of the planning authority for a period of not less than four weeks in a position convenient for public inspection during normal office hours; and (c) where the planning authority by resolution so decide, may be displayed for public inspection in any other place which the planning authority consider appropriate or published in a newspaper circulating in the district or made available to any body, group or person likely to be interested.
The operation of these provisions will be kept under review.
Does the Minister accept that the purpose of the requirement was to ensure that the public would be notified of a planning application?
Yes, Deputy, but again a planning authority can decide by resolution that a notice be displayed for public inspection in any other place which that authority consider appropriate, or published in a newspaper circulating in the district and do so.
Does the Minister accept that advantage is being taken in certain areas of the existing system whereby applicants are applying for planning permission and that application is not reaching the attention of the public?
They are obliged to publish a notice, or put it in a paper. That is an obligation on the applicant under the Planning Act. As I have said just now, the planning authority can decide, if they wish, to publish a group of applications in a newspaper circulating in the district.
Would the Minister not accept that under the existing system whereby a notice can be published on the site or buried away as Gaeilge in some national paper which has virtually no circulation in the particular area, in many cases there are planning applications being lodged of which the public are not aware? The obvious way to ensure that we have a proper system is to have the local authority publish regularly a list of applications received.
The local authority are empowered to do so.
But in most cases did not do so.
It is entirely a matter for the local authorities, if they decide to do so.
Would the Minister accept that he has a responsibility in this matter and that the way to discharge his responsibility is to inform the public in such a way——
Let me say this, Deputy. I have had so many accusations in the last two years about interference with the autonomy of local authorities that I have no intention of interfering with them in this particular matter. It is a matter entirely for the authority themselves to decide whether or not to do so.
And the Minister is quite happy to let these go by default?
(Cavan-Monaghan): Does the Minister not agree that people are availing of devices like publishing these notices in Irish, like publishing them in papers which could be said to circulate in the district nominally but are not really read or purchased in the district and that the whole system of giving notice to the public about these planning applications needs to be looked at again, on a national basis?
I doubt if this business of hiding the applications away is so widespread. Some local authorities request that a notice be published in the local paper——
Cork Corporation is the only one I know.
——including my own local authority. You have to publish it. You are told to publish it in the local newspaper. I do not know how widespread this practice is.
It is fairly widespread.
I do not know what the practice is with other local authorities but surely they are in a position to deal with the matter?
Is it not the Minister's job to look after this?
(Cavan-Monaghan): Could I ask is the Minister not aware that these notices are published in certain papers so that they are not to be seen?