Mr. Paul Hyde:

Good morning, Chairman, and to committee members and colleagues from the planning and development sectors. I thank the Chairman for the opportunity to appear before the committee to discuss the important work of An Bord Pleanála in the context of the strategic housing development, SHD, review, and to respond to any questions the committee may have of SHD.

I am deputy chair of An Bord Pleanála and chair of the strategic housing division. I am joined by Ms Rachel Kenny, director of planning operations. With the Chairman's indulgence, I may ask her to address some of the issues raised, as she may be more familiar with such matters.

The board undertakes a critical role in considering and determining strategic housing development proposals, and we remain committed to delivering decisions as quickly and effectively as possible. The strategic housing development legislation has been in operation for just over two years, since July 2017. In that time a total of just over 100 cases have been decided, two thirds of which were decided in the past nine months. All cases have been decided within the mandatory timelines provided for, which is 16 weeks, except for two cases, where oral hearings were held. The board has also issued opinions on approximately 230 pre-application consultations, again within the nine-week period provided for in the legislation.

The role of the board is not merely to deal with cases as expeditiously as possible but also to promote the principles of proper planning and sustainable development. The national planning framework and the emerging regional spatial and economic strategies, as well as the various section 28 ministerial guidelines published over the past decade, set a clear priority for appropriate development in the right locations to facilitate the sustainable and orderly growth of our cities, towns and rural hinterlands. The board has a clear role in implementing such policies through the processing of case decisions.

In a constantly evolving and more complex legislative and legal context, where environmental issues and public participation are to the fore, it is also crucial that the board has all the information it needs to make sound decisions and gives people time to feed in their views on proposals during the deliberative process, reflecting our core principles of integrity, independence and fair-mindedness.

I will give the committee a little background on the strategic housing development division. The board was, on commencement of the legislation, provided with ten additional staff across planning inspectorate and administration, although during 2019 this was increased to 17 staff.

Four board members are assigned to the SHD division of the board, which is chaired by myself, and the members of this division are required to prioritise these cases, as is the case with all large-scale housing appeals that come to us. The board’s performance in relation to strategic housing developments has been very strong. The board, as I have already mentioned, has decided more than 100 cases, with 67 of these being a decision to grant and 34 to refuse. As of 30 September, approximately 16,500 residential units have been permitted and 7,500 student bed spaces. Pre-application consultation requests considered to date account for approximately 63,000 residential units and approximately 12,000 student bed spaces, so we anticipate significant and ongoing applications. However, it is not a rubber-stamping exercise. To date, approximately 5,460 residential units and approximately 1,360 student bed spaces have been refused consent. The board remains committed to the right developments in the right locations.

The board acknowledges the appointment of an independent panel to undertake a review of the performance, operation and structure of strategic housing development provisions. Representatives of the board have met with the independent review group to answer queries, provide statistical information and provide insight as required. Rather than go into the detail of this now, as I am conscious that I am taking up members’ valuable time to raise specific issues, I will leave it there. We are happy to take any questions and answer specific queries as they arise.