Darragh O’Brien, the Housing Minister, announced to the government colleagues on Tuesday that a major planning Bill, one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislations ever passed through the Oireachtas, would be codified into law by mid-October. The primary aim of the Bill is to bring about significant simplification to the planning process.
During a housing progress report presented to the Cabinet, O’Brien further shared that the housing targets would be considerably overshot with predictions suggesting a delivery of as many as 40,000 units in the current year. He divulged at the first Cabinet meet since July, the beginning of the year had witnessed an impressive upspike in commencements augmented by the government’s water connection refund and development levy waiver policies.
The housing minister notified the Cabinet that, on average, nearly 200 residential units were being initiated daily in the preceding 12 months, tallying to more than 49,600 units. Regarding the planning Bill, O’Brien had previously marked it as an extraordinary 747-page legislation which aims to iron out and expedite the planning process, thereby trimming down delays in housing and significant infrastructure projects. Conversely, the opposition has voiced concerns over the Bill alleged to engender more delays and its supposedly intricate nature.
The early phases of the Bill’s introduction had seen a division within the Cabinet born out of the Green Party’s apprehension over the possible limitation of judicial reviews, frequently accountable for prolonged delays in housing and infrastructure projects. Nonetheless, these concerns were addressed, and the Bill moved through the Dáil in the previous term following extensive hearings at the Oireachtas housing committee.
The Bill plans to synchronise all layers of planning, from regional to local, to the National Planning Framework objectives. Furthermore, it aims to extend the longevity of local authority development plans, restructure and rename An Bord Pleanála, along with inducting legal timelines for decision-making.
The legislation introduces limitations on entities that can request judicial reviews of planning decisions, whilst also establishing new Urban Development Zones. These are regions pinpointed for significant growth including residential areas. The administration implemented a modification that bans requests for the so-called “go away” funds in exchange for not opposing property evolution.
The proposed law has undergone stages of committee scrutiny in the Seanad, and is forecasted to round off in the Upper House by October. It will then cycle back to the Dáil for official approval of modifications presented in the Seanad. After enduring prolonged discussions regarding this action, the administration resorted to the guillotine to force the bill’s final stages in the Dáil – a legislative tool that concludes all debates and demands a vote on the entirety of the bill, no matter if it’s been discussed or otherwise.