Under Section 126 of the Planning and Development Act 2000-2014, An Bord Pleanála has a statutory objective to determine appeals within 18 weeks. Where the Board does not consider it possible or appropriate to reach a decision within 18 weeks (e.g. because of delays arising from the holding of an oral hearing), it will inform the parties of the reasons for this, and will indicate when it intends to make its decision. The compliance rate with the statutory objective period, and the average length of time taken by An Bord Pleanála to determine appeals over the last five years, is set out in the following table:
Year
|
Average Length of Time to Process Appeal (weeks)
|
Compliance with Statutory Objective Period
|
2015 (end June)
|
16
|
78%
|
2014
|
16
|
83%
|
2013
|
19
|
72%
|
2012 *
|
23
|
36%
|
2011
|
17
|
83%
|
2010
|
19
|
63%
|
* Note: The 2012 figures arose primarily due to the reduced number of Board Members (down to 4 of a maximum of 10) for much of 2012 due to a time interval between the expiration of terms of outgoing Board Members and the appointment of new members.