Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Question 216: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government if his attention has been drawn to the difficulties being experienced by potential planning applicants seeking to arrange pre-planning meetings with Kildare County Council planners; if he is further aware that it can take three months or more to arrange a pre-planning consultation; his views on whether this situation is detrimental to investment and good planning in the county; the way this arrangement complies with the models of best practice which he would wish to see in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40509/10]

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Section 247 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 provides that an applicant who has an interest in land may request a pre-application consultation regarding a proposed development and that the planning authority should not unreasonably withhold agreement to enter into such a consultation. My Department's Development Management Guidelines (June 2007) state that every effort should be made to facilitate, as far as is practicable, reasonable demands for pre-application consultations, and planning authorities should use whatever format is considered appropriate to their circumstances to facilitate such requests. The Guidelines, in addition, also state that efforts should also be made to provide consultation in the form requested and that planning authorities should aim to facilitate such requests as soon as possible, but in any event within 2-3 weeks.

The above-mentioned Guidelines were issued under section 28 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 and planning authorities are required to have regard to them in the exercise of their planning functions. I understand that Kildare County Council prioritise applications for pre-application consultations, having regard to employment generation potential, and make every effort to facilitate such requests within 1 – 2 weeks.