Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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641. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, and Local Government if consideration has been given to widening the remit of An Bord Pleanála to hold meetings and stakeholder discussions with citizens that will be directly affected by upcoming strategic housing development applications, allowing for more citizen involvement than the submission of an observation to the application considering there is no court of appeal for citizens apart from the limited request for a judicial review on a point of law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33777/20]

Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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The Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 (the Act) introduced new streamlined arrangements to enable planning applications for strategic housing developments (SHDs) of 100 housing units or more, or student accommodation or shared accommodation developments of 200 bed spaces or more, to be made directly to An Bord Pleanála for determination.

The SHD planning application arrangements include provisions relating to public notification, site notice and public consultation of any such proposals. In this regard, the applicant must:

- erect a site notice in a conspicuous position on the land in which it is proposed to carry out a SHD,

- publish a notice of a SHD proposal in one or more newspapers circulating in the area in which it is proposed to carry out a SHD, and

- make the application available for public viewing on a website set up for this purpose.

The primary purpose of such a website is to provide information to interested parties in relation to the application for planning permission, in order to support transparency and public participation. It is therefore required to be in place from the date of making the application to the Board until 8 weeks after the applicant is notified of the Board's decision.

It should be noted that, a SHD application must also be available to view by members of the public in the offices of the Board and the relevant planning authority. Members of the public are able, within the requisite period and on payment of the appropriate fee, to make submissions to the Board about applications for large housing developments in the same manner as currently applies in respect of planning applications submitted to the local planning authority or appealed to the Board.

In addition, the Planning and Development (Strategic Housing Development) Regulations 2017 provide for the publication of a weekly list of applications received and applications determined or otherwise disposed of by the Board in relation to SHD cases.

The Act also provides that the Board may hold an Oral Hearing on a SHD planning application where it considers this to be appropriate.

I am satisfied that there are appropriate public participation procedures in place for proposed SHD planning applications.