Dr. Fred Logue:

Yes, absolutely because in this day and age, all planning documents are created electronically. The onus should also be on the local authority to make sure that all of the information is available in advance of public participation starting. They can take as long as they want to put it up online but the clock should only start ticking when people can access the information, not when the planning application is submitted. It is incredible that this is controversial. The authorities cannot say that the public can participate in the planning process if the public cannot access the planning file. There is Aarhus compliance case law which says that is a breach of the Aarhus Convention.