Message from the Planning Regulator
Welcome to our first newsletter of 2025.
As we enter Spring, it's a good time to update you about our activities in this newsletter, which also features useful resources for those working in planning.
It's an important year for the planning sector in Ireland. We anticipate commencement of the Planning and Development Act (2024), and publication of the revised National Planning Framework once approved by Government. Coupled with implementation of the Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources, there is considerable investment in policy and resourcing for the sector. We support these legislative, policy and resource enhancements, which will ultimately benefit how we live and work in Ireland.
As we look forward, it is also useful to reflect on our planning system and its performance in recent years. Our five-year review of planning trends and outputs in Ireland provides a picture of the experience during 2023 while also looking back to 2019 and across the years. This easily digested report is worth a read and available on our website.
We run training for elected representatives, local authority and regional assembly colleagues. Many of you have attended previous training sessions. These tackle topical themes with a view to supporting those working in the sector. Our recent training in Judicial Review Proceedings, arranged with the Association of Irish Local Government, certainly fulfils that brief. This is covered further in the newsletter, with links to the video and resources, which provides insights to support local authorities in terms of future planning.
If you are interested in ‘Built Heritage and Town Regeneration’ this is the theme of our upcoming training for local authority and regional assembly colleagues. For more information, please check out below. Resources from our previous training are available on our website across a range of topics.
Are you familiar with the latest edition of our popular Learning from Litigation publication? This quarterly publication provides insightful coverage of selected relevant planning and environmental legal cases.
We would also like to promote our planning evaluation map, which is a useful resource where you can easily find out which consultations are currently underway by the OPR.
During this edition, we also have placed a spotlight on the recently launched National Census Atlas, which is a tool under the Regional Development Monitor. The Regional Development Monitor and National Census Atlas are excellent interactive tools to inform and monitor implementation of the three regional spatial and economic strategies. We commend this collaboration between the three Regional Assemblies, All-Island Research Observatory and Táilte Éireann, via the GeoHive Platform. It's heartening to see this and other examples of innovation using available data-sets creatively online, for the benefit of all.
As always, we are always very eager to encourage those looking for an interesting career to consider becoming a planner. We need to maintain talent joining the planning system, particularly at this critical phase of growth for the country.
Thanks again to all reading this for your continued support to the OPR. I do hope that you enjoy this edition.
Best wishes
Niall Cussen, Planning Regulator
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Planning in Numbers 2023
Key trends and outputs – a five-year strategic review of planning
Have you checked out our five-year review of planning trends and outputs in Ireland? Our recently published Planning in Numbers review looks at the trends and figures from 2019-2023.
The full report is available here. Key headlines from the review:
- During 2023 the number of valid planning applications decreased by 1,793 from the previous year, to 30,578. The national rate for invalid applications has increased since 2021, with the average in 2023 at its highest in the last five years
- The national planning application grant rate remained consistently high, between 87.4% and 89.2% over the five-year period
- The number of planning applications approved in 2023 was 24,448
- In 2023, 41,225 residential units were granted planning permission, a significant increase over 2022, when 34,177 residential units were granted planning permission
- The number of one-off houses granted permission decreased from 6,924 in 2022 to 5,032 in 2023
- The number of residential units completed continued to increase in 2023, with the rate of apartments higher than housing schemes and single houses
- Planning is experiencing resource challenges as well as looking to technological advances and related challenges and opportunities. The implementation of the Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources published in September 2024 is welcomed and will assist the sector
- 2023 data also shows the increasing cost of providing statutory planning functions by local authorities with a low level of income through planning fees
- The number of planning enforcement cases investigated by local authorities decreased to 6,783 from 6,959 during 2023
- There was a small decrease in 2023 in the number of derelict residential properties from 22,279 to 21,947
- 2023 was the first in the last five-year period when judicial review cases taken against An Bord Pleanála decreased
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Watch 'Learning from Judicial Reviews' video of local authority councillor training
(59 minutes 22 seconds)
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Spotlight: Learning from Judicial Reviews
With Judicial Review Proceedings impacting plan making and environmental assessments, it was no surprise that the timely OPR training was well received by local authority councillors.
If you'd like to learn more, Jonathan Moore, Partner and Rory Ferguson, Director with Fieldfisher gave an insightful and practical presentation, which is available here on video (59 minutes 22 seconds) and presentation deck (10 minute read).
From an explainer on acronyms through to demystifying the process, Jonathan and Rory explain what's involved clearly. Their main takeaways are:
- Litigation in planning has grown very significantly in recent years driven by a range of factors
- Best strategy is to ensure a high degree of observance of statutory procedures taking account of ongoing decisions of the Courts at EU and national level
- Local representatives are advised to work closely with planning authorities who are there to guide you and provide legal advice
- The OPR is here to support planning authorities in learning from ongoing litigation
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OPR showcases recent legal cases in latest edition of Learning From Litigation
If you are interested in planning and environmental case law, it's worth reading this quarterly edition. It features four legal cases, providing key learnings from planning and environmental case law.
As planning and environmental case law is continually evolving, this Legal Digest, which features selected recent cases, will be of particular interest to those working in the planning system.
The legal cases featured in the latest edition of Learning from Litigation are:
- Carrownagowan Concern Group and Ors v An Bord Pleanála and Ors [2024] IECA 234
- Harte Peat Limited v the Environmental Protection Agency, Ireland and the Attorney General [2024] IECA 202
- John Conway v An Bord Pleanála and Ors [2024] IESC 34
- Hayes_Foley v the Environmental Protection Agency and Ors [2024] IECA 162
The case selection was made following recommendations from the Planning Law Bulletin Steering Group, which consists of nominees from the Law Society of Ireland's Environmental and Planning Law Committee, An Bord Pleanála, the OPR legal services provider Fieldfisher LLP, the County and City Management Association and the OPR.
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Update on OPR training and resources
Our recent training webinar, 'Built Heritage and Town Regeneration', held last Friday, 28 February, was very well attended. The webinar covered the topics:
- Safeguarding and Enhancing our Historic Towns – An Integrated Approach to Regeneration
- Promoting Development within Historic Towns – The Westport Experience
Presenters:
- Mona Hallinan, Architectural Conservation Advisor with the National Built Heritage Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage
- Simon Wall, Senior Architect with Mayo County Council
Please check out our link below, where we outline upcoming training as well as provide a wide range of resources from previous sessions. The resources from the 'Built Heritage and Town Regeneration' webinar will be available in the near future.
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OPR reporting live on statutory plans evaluation
Would you like to know which statutory plans are being evaluated by the OPR?
The OPR has responsibility for independently assessing statutory forward planning to ensure it provides for the proper planning and sustainable development of that area.
Our map shows details of live public consultations on statutory plans, as well as submissions made by the OPR to local authorities on their plans. The map includes county, city, local area and joint local area plans, and variations/amendments to these plans. The map is updated regularly.
Please bookmark this resource if you would like to easily identify the statutory forward plans that the OPR is currently evaluating.
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Spotlight on the new National Census Atlas
A new tool under the Regional Development Monitor Hub
This edition we are showcasing a valuable online resource, the recently launched National Census Atlas, which is a tool under the Regional Development Monitor Hub.
We congratulate all involved in this collaborative project between the three Regional Assemblies in Ireland, the Eastern and Midland Regional Assembly, Northern and Western Regional Assembly and Southern Regional Assembly and the All-Island Research Observatory (AIRO) at Maynooth University and spatial infrastructure partners Táilte Éireann via the GeoHive platform.
The National Census Atlas is an interactive map viewer that presents detailed results from Census 2022 at the small area geographical level. This excellent resource has great application for planners, policy makers, researchers and businesses. It is user friendly and will also will be of interest to communities and citizens as it offers a range of insights at a local level, covering over 200 datasets including demographics, education, health and housing. It works best on a desktop and may have limited functionality on mobile devices. Users can select layers to view, choosing demographics and various factors. More information about it is available here.
The broader Regional Development Monitor is an excellent interactive tool that brings together a range of socio-economic indicators and allows visual presentation of the three regions in achieving the objectives outlined in the regional spatial and economic strategies. Interesting and fun to use, this resource has applicability to many different areas of work for planners and is illustrative of how data can be interwoven in a creative and innovative way. It's based on publicly available authoritative datasets from national agencies including the CSO, EPA, SEAI, NOAC, HEA and Fáilte Éireann.
The National Census Atlas was launched alongside a new section on the Regional Development Monitor around key smart specialisation strategy indicators.
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A career with impact, a career as a Planner
If you're looking for a career with impact and opportunities for progression, then planning is probably top of your list. The planning sector influences where we live, work and carry out our sporting and leisure activities.
Planners have a variety of roles, engaging with elected members (councillors and politicians), young people and other members of the public, environmental groups, business organisations, community groups, government departments and other state agencies. They also work in policy, designing and influencing county, city and local development plans. The planning sector relies on evidence and research, with many planners specialising in that area.
Careersportal.ie has all the information you need - from the impact of a career in planning, to practical matters like the salary range, skills and educational requirements.
Please check out and share these links to specific resources:
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ENDS
Minister for Housing confirms €265m additional funding for housing acquisition.
Minister for Housing has approved an additional €265m capital funding for the Second-Hand Acquisitions Programme in 2025. The funding is to be targeted at those in emergency accommodation exiting to permanent housing and homelessness. Local Authorities will be asked to target priority needs like families, children, disabled individuals and older people.
Gov.ie
NOAC ‘Good Practice in Local Government’ seminar showcases outstanding work of local authorities…
The National Oversight and Audit Commission (NOAC) held its seventh annual ‘Good Practice in Local Government’ seminar on 13 February 2025.
Six local authorities presented projects from their areas as leading examples of good practice.
NOAC is the independent body providing oversight of the local government sector. NOAC hosted this seminar in collaboration with the Local Government Management Agency and the County and City Management Association.
The six projects featured include:
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Clare County Council
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The use of technology to deliver effective tree management, cost savings and ensure public safety.
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Cork County Council
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Reinvigorating arts involvement and participation for Cruinniú na nÓg by enabling children, the end user, to programme it.
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Donegal County Council
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Applying new business practices and processes to replace manual processes, improve efficiencies and reduce costs under the Local Enterprise Office (LEO).
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Kildare County Council
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Development of an application to ensure accurate and timely payment of commercial rates.
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Meath County Council
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Livestreaming local elections to give real-time information, to be the primary source of information and to show citizens how local elections work.
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Dublin City Council
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Creating social housing by converting vacant office buildings into apartments, using an ‘Adaptive Reuse’ process/approach.
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The seminar was attended by Chief Executives and senior officials from the local authorities within Ireland, officials from the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, representatives of elected members and the regional assemblies, as well as a variety of other stakeholders in the local government sector.
A recording of all presentations will be uploaded to the NOAC website, www.noac.ie
For further information regarding the individual projects or the event, please contact
ENDS
The European Commission formally proposed that the EU seek to negotiate a youth mobility scheme with the UK in April 2024.
The Commission has proposed to the EU Council to open negotiations with the United Kingdom on an agreement to facilitate youth mobility. Such an agreement would make it easier for young EU and UK citizens to study, work and live in the UK and the EU, respectively.
The withdrawal of the UK from the EU has resulted in decreased mobility between the EU and the UK. This situation has particularly affected the opportunities for young people who want to experience life on the other side of the Channel and to benefit from youth, cultural, educational, research and training exchanges.
The proposal seeks to address in an innovative way the main barriers to mobility for young people experienced today and create a right for young people to travel from the EU to the UK and vice-versa more easily and for a longer period of time, subject to conditions.
The European Commission proposal was rejected by the then Conservative government. Sunak rejected the offer of youth mobility scheme between EU and UK.
UK Labour then in opposition also turned down European Commission’s proposal, which would have allowed young Britons to live, study and work in the EU.
UK Labour said that youth mobility schemes were “synonymous with freedom of movement”.
The now Labour government has reiterated that it has no plans for a youth mobility scheme with the EU and will not return to UK-EU freedom of movement.
Reports at the end of 2024 indicated that the EU was seeking to refine the proposal as a youth experience scheme or a cultural enrichment programme.
In evidence to the House of Lords European Affairs Committee in December 2024,(just 3 months ago) the Minister for EU Relations Nick Thomas–Symonds said that it was up to the EU to finalise any proposals it wanted to place on the table, and that the UK’s response would depend precisely on what was meant by youth mobility.
Progress will require a mindset that focuses on how to improve relationships and not on refighting old Brexit battles.
ENDS
Senator Calls on Government to Protect Journalists
Independent Senator Victor Boyhan called on the government to support journalists and local media by helping to protect revenue streams and reforming Irish defamation law.
NewsBrands Ireland and Local Ireland, the representative bodies for Ireland’s national and local news publishers, gave a special briefing entitled Journalism Matters, which focused on the challenges facing news publishers, including the impact of big tech and existing libel laws in Ireland.
Senator Boyhan spoke about the concerns the representative bodies highlighted about government advertising campaigns saying, “They monitor advertising in the national press, and they monitor advertising in the regionals, the provincials, and the locals…They could clearly demonstrate that the European Electoral Boundaries Commission advertisements and the general election constituency boundaries review advertisements did not feature in any of these local papers.”
The Senator discussed the concerns of news publishers and asked the Seanad to debate the concerns around libel laws saying, “A fair share for government advertising. A fair share of government supports. A fair deal with the big tech platforms. And finally, a fair regime for defamation. Now, I might have a different view on defamation than they might have, but I would ask that we schedule time to discuss the report on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the general scheme for the Defamation (Amendment) Bill.”
He concluded his speech by saying, “I'm supportive, in general, of the asks of these two organisations. I believe in supporting the national press, and the local, and the provincial, and the regional press.”
ENDS
VIEW HERE
2023 marked a milestone year for Co-operative Housing Ireland (CHI) as they celebrated 50 years in operation and delivered a record 849 new homes.
VIEW HERE
The Annual Review and Outlook for Agriculture, Food and the Marine 2024 provides up-to-date information and statistical analysis from a variety of sources, to give detailed overview of Ireland’s agri-food and an outlook for the future. The agri-food sector is Ireland oldest and largest indigenous exporting sector, extends across the country and reaches over 180 countries worldwide. The data and information included in this Annual Review and Outlook is intended as a resource to assist policy analysis over the next year.
VIEW HERE
View Here
Local Enterprise Offices Policy Statement 2024-2030
The Atlantic Railway Corridor The Mayo–Sligo Rail Link – Dr John Bradley
Timber in Construction Academic Survey – Core Research Final Report October 2024
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