Results 5,341-5,360 of 9,814 for speaker:Steven Matthews

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: That is grand; I thank Ms Minch. One of the issues that came up time and again in our engagements with An Bord Pleanála, the Office of the Planning Regulator, regional assemblies and local authorities was resources at planning decision level. That big backlog we see in An Bord Pleanála at the moment was outlined to us. In terms of court resources, such as judges and people to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: To go back to the question of grounds, if people do not raise certain grounds in their submission to the board of the planning authority, they may not be in a position to raise it on the judicial review stage. Someone can make a submission to the planning authority in week two, three, four or five of the timeframe that is open for submissions. There are certain things that may or may not...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: The narrative that goes around is that delays in the planning system are the reason why we do not have X, Y or Z etc. From what we have heard, it is a resourcing issue with the first line of decision-makers on the board. Planning authorities actually meet their timelines quite well. In terms of judicial reviews slowing down everything, again, that is a resourcing issue. There are...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: As long as it is not in respect of section 249 again. I believe everyone has answered the Deputy's question on that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: May I add to that question? There was reference to a case. I wrote it down but I cannot read my writing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: It was on section 5.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: I am sorry to interrupt Deputy Ó Broin.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: We can tease out this issue between us. The Bill seems to be trying to address this complication by excluding the member of the public rather than addressing the issue that arose in the case Mr. Flynn named.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: To back up what Deputy O'Callaghan said, we did not hear any evidence from planning representatives of local government that it created a resource issue. However, given the amount of time we have spent talking about section 5, everybody knows about it now and it might become a resource issue. I have questions on Part 9. If somebody seeks leave to apply for judicial review, a respondent...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Would somebody given notice that leave to seek judicial review of their decision has been sought weigh it up in their minds and consider that, at the leave to appeal stage, they might win and then have to go into the full judicial review process and defeat the leave to appeal? I am probably not using the right terminology but would they make a judgment call on it? That could stretch out for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Was that because if you put in a wide range of grounds, you are trying to encompass everything? As the Heather Hill case showed, all the grounds are now covered. You can probably just go in with one or two, knowing that would be covered now, whereas you had to bring everything into it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Earlier, the low threshold was mentioned, which I think was the phrase used.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: A few years ago, judicial reviews were not as common as they are now. We have had the discussion on strategic housing developments, SHDs, and I do not want to rehash it. However, I often speak to people who say it is with board but they are going to judicially review it anyway. It has almost become as though this is the next stage in the planning process. Is it at that leave to apply...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: You would not have cost protections in those other cases that were mentioned.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: Do any members wish to come back in?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: There is another point following on from Deputy Ó Broin's. There is a section completely missing from this called transitionals. How are we going to transition from the system we have? Will it be done by certain parts coming in first? How did the transition from the 1963 to the 2000 legislation work? It was not as complex then. There is a lot more complexity now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: The section 48 stuff as well.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: We will have a final session on the draft Bill with the Department in two weeks' time. We are hoping to wrap up with the Department and bring to its attention everything that has been raised at the previous eight meetings.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: It could be a long meeting. Today's discussion has been helpful. It has probably thrown up more questions than answers, but that is no harm. If the current section 50B, relating to costs, were to be inserted into the draft Bill in place of the proposed section 250, would it be a good fit? The current process under section 50B seems to be working. What are the current issues with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Housing, Planning and Local Government: General Scheme of the Planning and Development Bill 2022: Discussion (Resumed) (2 Mar 2023)

Steven Matthews: The person does get that full cost eventually, however.