Mr. Aidan Sweeney:

The Planning and Development Act 2024 is one element. The judicial review process also needs to be looked at, stemming from the Kelly report that investigated the operation of civil justice in Ireland. The remaining items under the judicial review for the planning process need to be brought forward to make sure the court is not a consenting body. It should just deal with the matters of legal argument. Any issues to do with deficiencies in planning decisions should automatically go back to An Coimisiún Pleanála to deal with. It was felt in the Kelly report that it would serve the legal good and be the most proportionate and appropriate body to deal with those issues.

The second element about the Planning and Development Act is to look forward to see how to leverage the issues around the development process.

This is a core thing at the local input level as it moves to ten-year development plans. The question is whether we can follow what happens in Denmark and other member states where there are longer consultation processes when development plans are being made with the local councillors and the public's input. This allows for and provides a clear statement of what is in the public and local interest for that community.