Michelle Mulherin (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My next point might not be relevant, given the fact that not as many planning applications are in the system. The board moves the goalposts when a decision on an application is being appealed. The board tries to redesign the scheme. In my town, the board liaised directly with applicants concerning certain housing developments instead of judging what was before it. This practice is not welcome, as it removes the public from the process and could result in the board granting planning permission for developments that differ from those outlined in the applications. Interested third parties do not see and are not given a chance to comment on the redesigned developments. I would question this seemingly inappropriate practice.

As far as development is concerned, we are on ground zero compared with the Celtic tiger years and the push for zoning. This is not necessarily the board's remit, but I would be interested in the witnesses' opinions. A farmer down a road might have land that suddenly increases in value because it is rezoned. The local authority bestows the land's value on the farmer. Could this process be re-examined? If a local authority intended to rezone land for commercial purposes, for example, and acquired the land before rezoning it, the authority could sell it later. Rather than a private individual, the authority would get the value of the rezoning.