Ciarán Lynch (Cork South Central, Labour)
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Question 263: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government the progress made in regard to the commitment given in the programme for Government to ensure that advice given in pre-planning discussions is consistent and does not get overturned every time there is a change in planning staff. [20324/08]

John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Under section 247 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 a person who intends to make a planning application to the planning authority may with the agreement of the planning authority concerned enter into pre–application consultations in relation to the proposed development. My Department issued Development Management Guidelines to planning authorities in June 2007, which are a step by step guide to all stages of the planning application process, beginning with pre-application consultations. A copy of the guidelines is available on my Department's website at www.environ.ie.

The Guidelines recognise the benefits of pre-application consultations in that they provide the planning applicant with an opportunity to discuss the merits of a proposal for development at an early stage. The pre-application consultations also allow the planning authority an opportunity to play a proactive role in guiding a project from its inception in accordance with proper planning and sustainable development principles.

The Guidelines note that a written record must be kept of section 247 consultations and that a copy of the record must be placed on the planning file in the event of a subsequent planning application. The stated intention is to inform those involved in determining any subsequent application, particularly if they were not directly involved in the prior consultation. The Guidelines also recommend that planning authorities put in place management structures to inform applicants if, when the planning application is received, there has to be a material departure from the approach adopted by the planning authority at the pre-application consultation: such a departure might be required if the subsequent application is substantially different from that originally discussed, or if the planning authority needs to respond to valid issues raised by the public or by statutory consultees following submission of the application.

The Development Management Guidelines were issued under Section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 and planning authorities are obliged to have regard to them in the performance of their planning functions. The implementation of the guidelines by planning authorities will assist in ensuring a consistency of approach at pre-application consultation stage.