Sir, – Your editorial in Tuesday’s edition continues the false narrative that objections render the current planning system unfit for purpose (“The Irish Times view on delays in the planning system: unacceptable in a housing crisis”, November 27th).
The delay to the 22,135 homes stuck in the Bord Pleanála in the planning system are the responsibility of the Strategic Housing Development (SHD) system and An Bord Pleanála alone.
None of these allowed for any “objections”.
When a local authority receives a planning application, “objections” have no impact on its eight-week deadline.
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If a decision is appealed by either the applicant or a third party, it is An Bord Pleanála’s responsibility as to how long their decision takes, not the impact of any “objections”.
For the record, of the 296,923 planning decisions made in the last eleven years, 20,440 have been appealed by either first or third parties – less than 7 per cent.
Of those 20,440 appeals, 585 have been taken to judicial review – less than 3 per cent.
The delivery of housing is delayed by other factors – financial, administrative, profitability, capacity, among many.
Objections are not the cause of the delays in the planning system, and the Planning Bill should not be driven by reducing objections – it should be driven by increasing support and the common good. – Yours, etc,
ROBIN MANDAL,
Chair,
Dublin Democratic Planning Alliance,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.