Ms Rachel Kenny:

The pre-application process plays a very important role and the planning authorities participate in that to a significant degree. There has been a significant amount of pre-application consultation prior to it arriving at the board but when it comes to the board, we go through all of the issues not yet resolved by the planning authorities with the prospective applicant along with issues we feel ought to be considered to ensure that the correct and relevant amount of information, planning justification, etc., is submitted to us. Most of the 230 pre-application cases would require further consideration. Only a small number would have been considered to constitute a reasonable basis for the making of an application. Most of the pre-application consultations that come in result in a further consideration request that lists the issues that require further consideration. We are improving in terms of clarity regarding those issues to give as clear a direction as possible but as Mr. Hyde said, we do not predetermine applications.

It is very important that there is a distinction between the pre-application process and the application process. We have different inspectors at pre-application stage versus application stage in order to ensure that the process is transparent and open and that everybody has a fair opportunity to influence and inform the consideration of an application so that third parties would have that same opportunity to engage with the reporting inspector at first hand.

We have had second pre-application consultation meetings. That is possible. In other instances where the matters would be so extensive, they come in and restart the process. We have a second pre-application consultation where it is required and where somebody wants it, we will facilitate it. That is always available.

In terms of the grant rate and whether it is successful, obviously it started off as a relatively new process. We all had to get an understanding of where we were going in terms of the evolving planning policies that exist. In recent times, if one looks at the first 2018 decisions versus the 2019 decisions, the grant rate would be slightly higher in 2019 - in the second half or second operational period of the strategic housing development, SHD - as we begin to learn and understand where we are going with that. It is probably closer to 70% at present. It could be higher but it depends on the applications coming in. It is important that we had the opportunity not to rubber-stamp it to take into consideration all of the relevant information that comes in at application stage. In terms of public participation in local democracy and the involvement of the planning authorities, it is important that the public knows that it can influence the board in the making of a decision. It is a not a failure but a success that it is not 100%.