Green Party Criticises Decision To Abandon Strategic Planning Guidelines

Green Party Environment Spokesperson Cllr Malcolm Noonan today criticised the decision by Minister Phil Hogan to abandon the Strategic Planning Guidelines.

Mr Noonan said: "This reversion to planning deregulation will warm the hearts of many Fine Gael Councillors who have been complicit in some of the worst zoning and planning decisions made in our country. By abandoning the Strategic Planning Guidelines while putting no alternative plan in place, we will be left in a planning limbo where each council can do whatever it wants.


"One of the first things that Phil Hogan did in office was to raise the cap on the size of retail outlets. An Bord Pleanála is now starting to implement his vision, as we saw recently when they overturned their own Inspector's Report and approved a major new superstore outside Cavan town centre. Once again we seem to be captivated with a development at all costs mentality which, in the end, works poorly for everyone."

Green Party Housing and Planning spokesperson Tom Kivlehan said: "Minister Hogan says he will have new Strategic Planning Guidelines in place next year but what are councils going to do in the meantime? Given the voting record of Fine Gael councillors, what we can expect is a planning free for all with every council looking for their slice of a much diminished construction pie. We seem to have learnt nothing from our recent past and the background causes of our economic crash."

(CD/GK)