An Bord Pleanála failure to decide on applications delays up to 6,000 apartments
for some 6,000 'fast-track' apartments has stalled for more than three years, delaying construction after An Bord Pleanála failed to decide on 18 applications from 2021 and 2022.
New figures show the planning body has still not overcome the legacy of the 2022 governance scandal that halted decision making on key files.
These included
strategic housing development
(SHD) plans, a 2017 process that was supposed to accelerate apartment building. Applications went directly to An Bord Pleanála, bypassing local councils in contentious measures that later led to dozens of High Court cases.
The planning board paid out €1.43 million in fines for not processing 143 SHD applications on time. But it has since made 'significant progress' clearing a large backlog of SHD and other planning files that accumulate in 2022 and 2023.
READ MORE
But records show 18 SHD schemes in Dublin, Cork, Kildare, Wicklow and Wexford are 'not decided', years after the window for applications closed in early 2022. One further Co Offaly case 'cannot be decided' as it is subject to a legal order.
Independent Senator Victor Boyhan
, who pressed An Bord Pleanála to publish the data, said developers made big gains from flaws in the SHD regime.
'The SHD process, hailed as an opportunity by the Government, failed to deliver housing units at scale. In fact, the majority of permissions granted were not built out. The developers gained in terms of site value as a result of An Bord Pleanála approval,' said Mr Boyhan.
'I am in favour of a use-it-or-lose-it [rule in] these so-called fast track SHD permissions, after a period of three years. Priority was given by the Government through the SHD to deliver new homes. It was never intended to aid and enhance site values, which is what has happened.'
Asked about SHD delays, An Bord Pleanála replied: 'Legal complications arose in 2022 due to the fact that a number of SHD applications were lodged where subsequently a new city or county development plan came into force.'
A 2024 Supreme Court ruling 'provided some clarity on this matter', prompting the planning board to establish a special team of inspectors to deal with outstanding SHD files.
'Since January 2024, the board have disposed of 36 cases and there are a further four cases at board level, due to be decided shortly. It is not possible at this juncture to provide a specific time frame for each outstanding case.
'However, there are a further 15 cases currently on hand and it is envisaged that these will be decided by the end of the [second quarter of the year],' it said.
Another 16 SHD cases have been sent back to the board after litigation.
'These cases will require further consideration by the board and new inspectors' reports will need to be prepared to take account of the significant changes in planning and development law, county and city plans and ministerial guidelines that have occurred in the intervening time.'
Citing the need to balance priorities, the agency said it expects to dispose of those cases by the end of 2025.
An Bord Pleanála was rocked by turmoil in 2022 when then deputy chairman Paul Hyde resigned after questions were raised about his work. He received a suspended prison sentence in 2023 for failing to declare certain personal interests.
The disruption prompted a breakdown in board decision-making on big housing and infrastructure files. New laws followed to overhaul An Bord Pleanála and planning. The restructured institution will work under a new name, An Coimisiún Pleanála.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
14 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Second Estuary View apartment plan for Bessborough site rejected
Another set of plans for an apartment development on lands of the former Bessborough mother and baby home in Cork City has been rejected just days after an even larger apartment complex in a separate part of the grounds was refused planning permission. An Coimisiún Pleanála — formerly known as An Bord Pleanála — ruled that a proposal by developer Estuary View Enterprises (EVE) 2020 Limited, to demolish a large number of agricultural buildings and construct 140 apartments on the grounds of Bessborough House in Blackrock failed to meet the planning requirements in terms of unit mix. Just 1% of apartments in the scheme named The Farm were three-bed units compared to the target of 28% set by Cork City Council. An Coimisiún Pleanála said the plans for the 5.1-hectare site represented a material contravention of the Cork City Development Plan 2022-2028 with no justification provided by the developer for its unit mix. However, the commission did not adopt a recommendation of its own planning inspector that the application should also be refused planning permission because it was not satisfied that the site was not previously used as a children's burial ground. The inspector, Colin McBride, said such a reason had been the basis for An Bord Pleanála to reject two earlier proposed developments in other parts of the Bessborough lands and it would similarly be premature to approve The Farm scheme. The Meadows plan also rejected The decision of An Coimisiún Pleanála comes just after it rejected plans by the same developer for a 280-unit apartment scheme, The Meadows, on a 2.29-hectare site in the Bessborough grounds. An Coimisiún Pleanála based its refusal in relation to that site on both the unit mix and excessive scale of the plans which it ruled would be 'visually obtrusive' as well as constituting a substandard form of 'incongruous' development. However, it also did not adopt a similar recommendation by Mr McBride that planning permission should also be refused over concerns about potential burial grounds of children. An artist's impression of a proposed bridge to the Blackrock to Passage West greenway as part of the proposed 280-unit Meadows scheme at Bessborough which was rejected last week by An Coimisiun Pleanála. The two proposals are part of a three-part masterplan by EVE to open up a large part of the Bessborough lands for the creation of new communities and a large publicly-accessible parkland area. A planning application has still to be submitted for the proposed third phase of 200 apartments in a western part of the grounds. Permissions for the Farms and Meadows schemes were sought under the process for strategic housing developments which obviated the need to first submit an application to Cork City Council. However, the local authority recommended that EVE's planning application for the Farm scheme should be approved subject to a number of conditions including the omission of one of the proposed five apartment blocks and a reduction in the height of two other buildings. It also supported the separate plans for the Meadows scheme. In contrast, elected members of Cork City Council at a meeting in 2022 were generally opposed to both developments due to concerns about historic legacy issues associated with the sites and the appropriateness of the projects. An aerial view of the former Bessborough convent in Blackrock, Cork City, where the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary ran a mother and baby home from 1922 until 1998. Picture: Denis Scannell The Farm scheme had also provided for a new pedestrian/cycle bridge over the Passage West Greenway while two repurposed farmyard buildings were due to be used for some apartment units as well as a creche, library, lounge and function space. Estuary View Enterprises said it had met with the Cork Survivors & Supporters Alliance (CSSA) at an early stage of the design process for the Farm scheme because of the sensitivity associated with the location. However, the developer said the locations within the Bessborough lands that were of concern to the group which they wanted preserved were outside the company's control but that the CSSA had no objection to the principle of the Farm scheme.
Irish Examiner
14 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Advisory body warns Government dependence on fossil fuel imports risks disruption and sabotage
Ireland's lack of a strategic fuel reserve leaves the country at risk of disruption and sabotage, the Government has been warned. The warning comes in a report from the National Economic and Social Council (Nesc) presented to Cabinet on Tuesday, which says that Ireland's fossil fuel import-dependency "is a strategic vulnerability". The report says that the fact that Ireland holds no domestic gas reserves "is a particular issue of concern and distinguishes Ireland from most other EU member states". The Department of the Environment's 2023 report Securing Ireland's Gas Supplies identified five strategic risks that could threaten the security of gas supplies to Ireland for both demand-side and supply-side shocks. They included "technical disruption, sabotage and physical attack, reduced availability of gas from the UK, an inability to meet peak gas demand, and geopolitical supply-chain risks for renewables components that present a risk to climate action delivery". In March, the Government approved a plan to develop a State-led liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal, which will serve as the State's strategic reserve. The plan will see a floating storage and re-gassification unit (FSRU) operated by Gas Networks Ireland. Meanwhile at Cabinet, energy minister Darragh O'Brien received Government approval to issue letters to the board of ESB and EirGrid noting the €3.5bn in additional equity to support investment in electricity grid infrastructure over 2026-2030. The investment is split into €2bn for EirGrid, to support the financing of its offshore electricity grid investment plan, and €1.5bn for ESB to support its investment in the onshore electricity grid. Also at Cabinet, it was agreed that four gardaí will be sent to France this summer to assist the French National Police and the Gendarmerie during the tourist season in Mont-Saint-Michel and Giverny in Normandy during July, August, and September. Similar deployments were made to France over the last three years, with gardaí deployed to France involved in general patrolling, in uniform, in the company of French officers. They will not have police powers while in France, and their role will be to assist in any interactions with Irish citizens who are victims of crime or who are involved in crimes. They will also assist with engagement with other nationalities where the first language is English. Two gardaí have already been deployed, and in total four gardaí will be deployed, with one based in Mont-Saint-Michel and three based in Giverny. Accommodation and food is to be provided by the French authorities.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Grants of up to €35,000 for firms planning move into new markets to cushion US tariffs blow
Enterprise Ireland will offer new grants to firms planning to expand into alternative markets due to the impact of tariffs on sales to the United States . Under measures approved by Cabinet on Tuesday, a market research grant of up to €35,000 will be made available to companies seeking to develop mitigation strategies to the impact of tariffs. The export agency has established a tariffs response team to develop measures for Irish exporters. It follows calls from the sector for enhanced supports, including a tariff adjustment fund modelled on the multibillion package made available in the aftermath of Brexit. Other measures which will be pushed by Enterprise Ireland include a market discovery fund for companies devising strategies, with funding of up to €150,000, as well as money to hire external strategy consultants. READ MORE Ukrainians accommodation Meanwhile, Government has agreed steps to limit the ability of some property owners to take advantage of a €600-a-month payment for accommodating Ukrainians. Cabinet has agreed that the accommodation recognition payment, which was already scaled back this year, will now be limited to owners of properties which have been used in the private rental market at any time since the start of 2022. A Government spokesman said the move, brought forward by Minister for Housing James Browne and Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan, comes amid concerns about the scheme's impact on the rental market. Housing Cabinet also agreed an additional €696 million in capital funding for housing programmes, including home building, vacant home refurbishment and allocations for the defective concrete blocks grant scheme. In addition to securing Cabinet approval for the appointment of new Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly, Minister for Justice Jim O'Callaghan also got agreement to send four gardaí to assist the French police during the tourist season. The members will not have police powers but will be there to assist in any interactions with Irish citizens who are victims of crime or involved in the commission of offences. They will be based in Mont-Saint-Michel and Giverny. Minister for Transport Darragh O'Brien briefed Cabinet on a 10.6 per cent increase in passenger numbers across contracted bus and rail services, contained in the National Transport Authority's annual report for 2024. He also received approval for the publication of new legislation aiming to provide defined timelines for Environmental Protection Agency licencing decisions. The Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2025 will update three different licensing systems, with the Government of the view that it is taking too long for decisions to be made, with even minor proposed changes to a site requiring a full licence review. Cabinet also signed off on a plan to carry out a public consultation on planning exemptions.
