Dear Editor,
Since the unveiling of the Planning and Development Bill in 2022, the Dublin Democratic Planning Alliance (DDPA) has continuously exposed the deficiencies within the bill. Its primary critique relates to the undue concentration of power, stripping local governments of their authority and handing over virtually all planning control to the current Minister and the planning regulator appointed by him.
The legislation seems excessively convoluted, seemingly to evade judicial review – the safeguard through which power can be checked – and to centralise authority. The misleading conception that citizens are obstructing development is the common fabric permeating the expansive 70-page document and its additional 1,000 modifications, which were hastily passed through the Dáil and Seanad, devoid of adequate examination.
Conversely, this bill neglects the urgent state of climate change. Rather than providing solutions, it is likely to prolong the implementation of much-needed infrastructure. The DDPA believes the government has, for an extended period, prioritised the financial interests of those who benefit from the planning system, over broader societal gains. This bill appears to be the culmination of what could be described as ‘regulatory capture’. It was never within the remit of the government’s agenda, it’s overly intricate for conceptualising our future and should either be retracted or defeated in the Dáil upon its guillotine vote.
Yours sincerely,
ROBIN MANDAL,
Chairman,
Dublin Democratic
Planning Alliance,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.