Dáil debates

Thursday, 15 September 2022

An Bord Pleanála: Statements

 

3:40 pm

Photo of Richard O'DonoghueRichard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have been in construction all my life. In helping people with planning permissions in areas such as one-off houses and businesses across the board, the biggest thing we must deal with to help people put a roof over their heads is An Bord Pleanála. I have a serious concern that even with the planning process in place, people, no matter where they are in the country, can pay €20 to object to an application, no matter how silly or important it is.

Again, these people are serial objectors. Why they cannot be filtered out at an early stage is beyond me. For €20 they can hold up a planning application from a young couple who are trying to build their lives or a businessperson who wants to invest in our areas. People can object to anything down to the colour of a door for €20 and it goes to An Bord Pleanála. Once they start a sequence at planning stage it gives them the right to take it on to An Bord Pleanála. That system must change.

The criteria around the board's investigations must also change. I heard recently from a man whose agricultural shed had been objected to. Due to antisocial behaviour in the area he had to lock the agricultural shed. The board would not tell him when the inspector was coming and when the inspector arrived the shed was locked. Somebody spotted that the inspector was there and rang the applicant. The applicant went as fast as he could and was five minutes away. He got a note from the inspector saying that when he arrived to inspect the premises it was locked, even though the applicant had no prior notice. The inspector went with the objector and said it was not an agricultural building but an industrial one. It had to go back to the board again and be applied for again and be overturned because of a lock on a door. The inspector never told the applicant when he was going to be there.

Now we have investigations into the board of An Bord Pleanála for corruption. This is going back to the old boys' club again. It is history repeating itself. Rub my shoulder and I will rub yours. That is going back to the old politics in this House and all the investigations that went on here for years. It must stop now. The Minister is here to respect and represent the people and bring An Bord Pleanála to account.

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