Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy John Phelan, to the House. I will be brief. I am raising this matter in the context of Rebuilding Ireland. In the preparations for it and the ongoing and concluding legislation to underpin it, officials in the Department made a very strong case for the fast-tracking of planning and a lot of concern was expressed by local councillors, in particular, as well as people throughout the country about the interface with the planning system. Plean-IT is an internal platform developed by An Bord Pleanála. I understand it is working very well but it is internal at this point.

We were given assurances by the then Minister, Deputy Coveney, that he would fast-track the process and that it was a critical part of the public engagement process and the right of the public to engage in planning consultation processes. I am not expecting to hear significant figures in respect of the fast-track system because I am conscious that it was only introduced in July, and that there is a nine-week pre-application process and a 16 week planning process after that. The entire process takes 25 weeks. If we rolls on 25 weeks from July, I would anticipate that between four and eight applications have gone through the system.

My real concern is that we keep an eye on the fast-track element, in particular as it pertains to student accommodation and major business initiatives that want to get going. It is important that they are not stuck in an archaic planning process and are allowed to go through due process. My concern is that, as of today, people in Cork, Kilkenny, Wicklow and Donegal cannot engage online with An Bord Pleanála. They cannot make a submission, which was confirmed by An Bord Pleanála today. They cannot inspect the drawings, etchings, vision, concept or montage associated with a planning application. All of this is unsatisfactory at a time when we want to encourage development and stakeholders to make observations. They do not all have to be negative and involve objections. Many people in our community want to make positive contributions to planning applications.

I am keen to hear what the Minister of State has to say about how we can fast-track the roll-out of Plean-IT throughout the country and local authorities, and encourage citizens to engage in our planning process.