The essence of developer-led planning, highlighted in Fintan O’Toole’s commentary, is a stark alarm call about the worrying consequences of the Planning and Development Bill which is currently being rushed through the Dáil. This Bill is the climax of a long-standing hold by the building industry’s lobbyist, structurally designed to shift the power balance in their favour. Contrary to the government’s parroted premise of a ‘plan-led development’, the bill does exactly the opposite. Our firm conviction is that this grants an uncomfortable amount of power to both the Minister and the newly coined ‘project-proposer’ term for the developer, undermining the ordinary citizen’s voice and restricting the path to justice. We urge the Government to rethink pushing this Bill through, particularly as we’re already seeing the aftermath of such a flawed, centrally controlled, developer-led planning approach in our urban and rural landscapes. Yours sincerely,
ROBIN MANDAL,
Head,
Dublin Democratic Planning Alliance,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.