'Not enough time' to consider new planning bill, councillors claim
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The Government is not giving enough time for consideration of its new planning bill, a representative body for the country's councillors will tell an Oireachtas committee.
President of the Association of Irish Local Government Cllr Pat Fitzpatrick — which represents 949 councillors across all parties and none in the 31 planning authorities throughout the State — will tell the Housing Committee the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Planning and Development Bill 2022 has not been extensive enough.
"We feel that not enough time is being allowed to scrutinise a bill which will set the legal basis for the planning framework for decades to come," he will say.
"The question might be asked whether it is good practice to hurry this very extensive bill through the Oireachtas given its implications for future generations."
Mr Fitzpatrick will say councillors from all parts of the country have expressed concern that the bill "reinforces a centralised planning structure with the County Development Plan locked into rigid national and regional planning frameworks".
"The reinforcement of the oversight of the Office of the Planning Regulator further limits the discretion councillors have in shaping their locality based on their realistic local knowledge of its needs and capacities."
Mr Fitzpatrick will say the Planning, Development and Foreshore Bill 2022 removed the power of councillors to decide on their own council housing developments or Part 8 housing.
"This means that councillors cannot decide to approve, amend or decline a proposal put forward by the council management.
Kevin Kelly, chief executive of Mayo County Council and chair of the County and City Management Association (CCMA) will also address the committee and is set to say that while the CCMA welcomes "this addition to the legislation but considers that the role of local authorities is underrepresented".
"Given planning authorities are at the coalface in the planning system with a democratic mandate catering for the full suite of planning functions, it is considered that the purpose section of the new act should clearly define planning authority function and role."
The bill is seen as the most major overhaul of Ireland's planning system in a generation, but concerns have been raised from those in local authorities and stakeholder organisations.