An Bord Pleanála delays
Deputy Carey complained about major delays in planning decisions and the impact on urgently needed developments. The Minister said extra posts have been added and more resources are being sought to speed up decisions.
Significant delays are being experienced in issuing decisions from An Bord Pleanála. Many of those decisions relate to strategic projects. Loads of constituents are in touch with me around this issue. Has the Minister plans to improve the situation there to get these decisions out more quickly? Many of these relate to commercial developments that are really needed and we must make more of an effort to turn around these decisions more quickly.
Comment on this
Deputy Carey raises a very good point. It is about the resource of An Bord Pleanála to ensure it has the people it needs to process the work it has. I provided for an additional 42 posts over the last number of months at inspector level and senior level in the board to beef up the team there and speed up that work. I have received another workforce plan from the board for further resources that are required to work through what it has. We need an efficient planning system. We cannot have decisions delayed interminably in the board and I want to see that improved. We have made one very significant change, namely, the large-scale residential developments and bringing the strategic housing developments, SHDs, back to local authority level. That will free up some capacity too and ensure planning decisions are made at a local authority level first. Then if they must go to the board, they go to the board. The Deputy raises a very fair point.