Ms Mary Hughes:

I thank the Chairman and members for giving us the opportunity to brief the joint committee on some of the challenges facing the planning system and planning professionals in ensuring Ireland has a consistent and transparent planning system that is fit for purpose for the next 50 years. Good planning ensures we get the right development in the right place at the right time. It makes a positive difference to people's lives and helps to deliver homes, jobs and better opportunities for all.

I am accompanied by two Irish Planning Institute board members, Mr. John Spain and Mr. Henk van der Kamp, and its executive director, Mr. Seán O’Leary. We submitted to the committee a briefing note detailing three pertinent issues we wished to discuss. I hope the note provides an effective overview of these issues.

By way of background, the Irish Planning Institute was founded in 1975 and will celebrate its 40th birthday next year. It is the all-island professional body representing the majority of professional planners in Ireland and Irish planners working abroad. The institute's mission is simple, namely, to advance planning and ensure we have a planning system that is fit for purpose and operates in the interests of the common good.

I propose, first, to outline the reasons the Irish Planning Institute seeks to continuously raise the standards of planning and the planning profession and professional recognition of planners is important and necessary. We need a planning system in which members of the public can have confidence. This cannot be achieved without a system that is transparent and credible. Planning is a uniquely participatory process. Members of the public, planners, councillors, architects, engineers, developers and local authority managers all have roles to play in the planning process. However, these roles are not clear to the public and are sometimes conflicting.

The term "planner" is randomly used to label and describe all those involved in the planning process, including administrators, lobbyists and members of other professions. This clearly demonstrates that the role, purpose and function of the professional planner are not fully understood, even in some cases by those working within the planning system. We need to repair trust in the system, but this cannot be done without first clearly defining those who work within it. The planning (No. 2) Bill provides an opportunity to create greater clarity around the title of "planner" and emphasise that professional planners are suitably qualified. Such clarification is necessary to ensure members of the public are not misled into believing they are dealing with individuals describing themselves as something they are not. As competent authority under the directive on the recognition of professional qualifications, the Irish Planning Institute is engaging with the Department on fulfilling our obligations to regulate the planning profession.

The second issue I propose to highlight is the need for certainty and consistency in the making of plans and decisions. This is necessary to increase confidence and facilitate investment in development. Ultimately, investors need to know how long the planning process will take, the cost of securing planning permission and whether planning permission that has been secured can be implemented. Much development in previous years was project-led. It is critical that we maintain and promote deliverable plan-led development.

The Irish Planning Institute calls for the planning system and our vision for growth to be underpinned by the successor to the national spatial strategy. A new national planning framework, setting out a spatial vision for the country, is required as a matter of urgency. It must focus on promoting the country's assets and achieving synergies to maximise the potential of the different parts of Ireland. The optimal use of different parts of the country needs to be spatially highlighted. The proposed Government planning policy statement on the aims and purpose of the system is also urgently required.

The final issue we propose to address is the detailed mechanics of the planning system, some of which are likely to be amended in the forthcoming planning (No. 1) Bill. The planning system in Ireland has rigorous timelines and is uniquely participatory. However, as with most systems, there is always room for improvement. For example, An Bord Pleanála's 18 week statutory timeframe needs to be reassessed. Part V negotiations and agreement on the provision of social housing need to be more effective and should be afforded statutory timelines binding on the relevant local authority and developer. Submissions on compliance with conditions need to be effectively dealt with and a statutory timeline afforded to their consideration.

Other issues and mechanisms must also be considered. For instance, consideration should be given to the introduction of certificates of lawfulness of use or development instead of the current section 5 declarations. Furthermore, strategic development zones' planning schemes should be subject to annual review to ensure they can be implemented.

The responsibility does not solely rest with the overseers of the planning system. If the system is to work effectively, consumers must also adapt and show flexibility. The system must adapt to changing circumstances and trends and, above all, increase standards. Developers must be flexible to adapt their developments to ensure the best possible scheme can be implemented to best suit current and future populations.

The planning system can help to underpin economic recovery, without fear of repeating past mistakes and in order that all sectors involved in the built environment can function together in a wider sustainable environment. Last October marked the 50th anniversary of the Local Government (Planning and Development) Act 1963. It is timely that we are considering changes to the governing legislation. Debates continue on whether the system has served as well. While we must learn from the past and ensure similar mistakes are not repeated, we must also look to the future. The forthcoming planning Bills provide an opportunity to ensure we have a planning system that is fit for purpose and the best fit to guide development for the next 50 years.