A Clare TD fears newly-proposed planning legislation will lead to “an erosion of democracy” if zoning powers are taken away from local authorities.
Cabinet has passed the Planning and Development Bill which is aimed at bringing “greater clarity, certainty and consistency to how planning decisions are made”.
The new bill, which could become legislation by the end of the year, means An Bórd Pleanála will be renamed An Coimisiún Pleanála and there will be statutory mandatory timelines for all consent processes, including appeals.
Crucially and most controversially, the judicial review process will be reformed and will require applicants to first have exhausted all other available appeals procedures.
The bill comes two months after Minister of State Kieran O’Donnell issued the directive ordering the rezoning of twenty subject lands in the Clare County Development plan; a decision which was greeted with much hostility by local representatives.
Scariff Independent TD Michael McNamara believes similar directives could be issued in the future if the bill becomes law.
While Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the bill will bring “certainty and consistency” to the planning process and make it more “coherent and user friendly”, Sinn Féin Housing Spokesperson Eoin Ó Broin has claimed it ignores the “very many concerns” raised by opposition TDs on planning.
Chair of the Clare Social Democrats, Garry Miley, believes international best practice was not taken into account before the bill was conceived.
You can listen to the full interview below.