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

From when the new arrangements were put in place in July up to 21 March, the board received 47 valid pre-application consultation requests, for the initial nine-week period, in respect of which 36 opinions have issued, with a further 11 due in the coming weeks. A total of four of the 36 opinions indicated that the documents submitted gave a reasonable basis on which to submit planning applications, while 32 required further consideration. Of the 36 opinions, 19 planning applications for strategic housing developments have been brought forward to the board which has issued a decision in seven of those cases. It has granted permission for the construction of a total of 523 residential units, mainly apartments, and 3,408 student bed spaces. It has refused permission for the construction of a total of 1,040 residential units, consisting of 478 houses and 562 apartments. All of the decisions were made within the 16-week timeframe. I have an overview of the seven cases decided if members want to have it.