Verde Environmental Consultants & Oil Leak Clean Up Specialists

Planning process set for major review by Attorney General

Planning process set for major review by Attorney General The Government plans to speed up the planning process and make it more difficult for legal challenges to halt housing and other developments. Officials have commenced a comprehensive review of planning laws which will see several different laws brought together in one planning Act, intended to streamline the process and speed up delivery ...
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Planning permission refused for 127ha Carlow solar farm – deemed contrary to Protection of Habitats

Planning permission refused for 127ha Carlow solar farm - deemed contrary to Protection of Habitats Planning permission has been refused for a 127ha solar farm to be developed in Co. Carlow. Terra Solar II Ltd, a Dublin-based solar developer, applied for a 10-year planning permission for a solar farm to be developed in the Ballon and Rathoe area of the county. Carlow County Council refused pe...
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Bill would make it ‘impossible’ to challenge poor planning decisions

Environmental groups have expressed deep concern at a new Bill put forward by the Minister for Planning that they say would make it almost impossible to challenge planning decisions in the courts. The Green News has seen a version of the Heads of the Housing and Planning and Development Bill 2019 sent last week to the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Housing Planning and Local Government. The docu...
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An Bord Pleanála Annual Report 2018

An Bord Pleanála have published their annual report and accounts for 2018. Headline figures show: a 6% increase in cases received; a 32% increase in cases decided; a 10% decrease in cases on hand at year end; 105 Strategic Infrastructure Development applications lodged; 44 Strategic Housing Development applications lodged; 99 vacant site levy appeals; 2018 was the first full year of...
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Ireland’s planning regulations breach environmental obligations

Ireland has been found to be in breach of its international obligations in relation to access to information on the environment. A decision reached under the United Nations' Aarhus Convention has found that certain Irish planning regulations do not comply with the Convention's provisions on public participation in planning. This is the first decision on an Irish case by the Aarhus Convention...
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Northern Ireland 2018/19 Annual Planning Statistical Bulletin published

The key points from the Northern Ireland Planning Statistics 2018/19 Annual Statistical Bulletin include: There were 12,541 planning applications received during 2018/19, a 3% decrease from the previous financial year. This comprised 12,404 local and 137 major applications. During 2018/19, 12,156 planning applications were decided, a decrease of over 1% from the previous financial year. In ...
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Special costs rules governing environmental litigation under Planning & Development Act

Executive summary Heather Hill Management Company CLG and Gabriel McGoldrick (the Applicants) challenged a decision of An Bord Pleanala (the Board) to grant permission for a strategic housing development. The Applicants challenged that decision on a number of grounds and argued that the entire proceedings attracted the special costs rules governing environmental litigation under Section 50B of ...
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A first for Irish planning: The office of the planning regulator is formally established

The Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018 (the “2018 Act”) provides legislative footing for the National Planning Framework, which was launched in 2018. It is the first time in Ireland a national planning strategy has been given legislative status. In another first for Ireland, an independent regulatory body to oversee planning was created under the 2018 Act. This oversight body comes ...
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Real estate planning and environmental considerations in Ireland

The government authorities that regulate planning and zoning for real estate development and use and extent of their powers Responsibility for regulating development and designated use of real estate typically lies with local planning authorities. Appeals are referred to An Bord Pleanála (The Planning Board) (ABP), which was set up by the government to operate an open and impartial planning app...
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Publication of the Northern Ireland Planning Statistics: Third Quarter 2018/19 Statistical Bulletin

Provisional Northern Ireland Planning Statistics for the third quarter of 2018/19 are now available. These data provide an overall view of planning activity. Alongside this there is a summary of council performance across the three statutory targets for major development applications, local development applications and enforcement cases as laid out in the Local Government (Performance Indicator...
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