Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

It is coterminous with the Statute of Limitations. If Deputy O’Callaghan were to take an enforcement action on day 364 of year 6, he would not need to have it disposed of within the seven years. It just has to have been initiated. People are clear on that.

Under this paragraph, any development still remains unauthorised. Even if it had gone past the seven-year mark and someone sought to retain it, he or she would not get to do so without planning retention, so it would have to go through the planning process.

I genuinely understand Deputy O’Callaghan’s intent, but an unintended consequence of the amendment could be planning authorities not taking enforcement actions within the time we want them to. If someone is in breach of a condition of a planning permission, there is no time limit because the work is in breach and unauthorised. I have explained why accepting an extension to 15 years could prolong the process and lead to slower action in enforcement proceedings.