40% of planning refusals ‘spurious’

NEARLY 40% of all planning applications are being rendered invalid, often for
exceptionally “spurious” reasons, it has been claimed.
In one case, a site notice was the wrong colour while, in a separate matter,
the word “dimension” was not written in drawings submitted.
Some of the petty issues have been highlighted by the Royal Institute of
Architects in Ireland (RIAI) which also noted that, in a specific application, the
fee was not submitted even though the fee had been paid electronically, with
proof available. In another it was because a site notice was the wrong colour.
The RIAI said, in many cases, applicants are being faced with long delays and
large bills to resubmit applications when the nature of the application
deficiency could have been easily dealt with at over-the-counter level.
RIAI president James Pike said, since the passage of the 2001 Planning Act,
the validation system of checking planning applications for compliance with
submission requirements was introduced to ensure better quality applications.
“However, in reality, the validation process has proven to be more time
consuming and expensive for many applicants and the local authorities than
the actual planning permission process itself.
“Some local authorities such as Limerick, Dublin, Waterford and Galway cities
routinely invalidate 40% of all applications.ഊ“Each of the Republic’s 34 planning authorities, although working to the same
legislation, use different planning application forms, thus creating obvious
problems for applicants and their agents. The RIAI is calling for the use of the
national planning application form, unamended, by all local authorities.”
He said the RIAI also wanted the Government to ensure all local authorities
validate planning applications at the counter in the planning department.
“While the majority of council are invalidating large proportions of planning
applications, some councils— notably counties Galway, Sligo, Wexford and
Louth — invalidate only between zero and 8% of applications,” said Mr Pike.
“The reason for such an extraordinary variance is that those authorities with
low numbers validate applications on the spot — namely at the counter in the
planning department. This at-the-counter process allows the applicant to deal
with any problems arising in their application immediately and to resubmit
within a day or so. Such a simple process ends the problem of large-scale
invalidation and ends the massive waste of scarce resources involved in
applicants having to reapply and local authorities having to reconsider
applications.”
The RIAI said: “The delays in the present system are very costly for
individuals and the public purse.”

Stephen Rogers
© Irish Examiner