Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I agree with the principle of what Deputy Eoin Ó Broin is trying to do. As I said, the local authorities will raise the issue in their conversations with An Bord Pleanála. To get it right, it might be better to leave it until the next planning Bill, the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2016, is introduced. We are in agreement with the logic of the amendment. It would work well with the designation of strategic development zones and local area plans. We have stressed to the proposers of planning applications that they deal with all issues before coming to An Bord Pleanála in order to enhance the chances of a good outcome. This new procedure does not guarantee that they will receive a "yes" to their planning applications; it only guarantees a timeline.

On notifying the public earlier, I agree with the spirit of what the Deputy is trying to do, but it would not be practical because this is in the very early stages of a conversation and a developer might choose not to progress it further. It is expensive to hire professionals to produce documents. Very often in the case of large-scale developments applicants who desire to be successful and win over the public produce a great deal of documentation at a very early stage and present their plans to the public. We encourage them to do so. However, accepting the amendment would be a step too far.