Govt Approves New Planning And Development Bill 2023

The Government has announced the approval of the new Planning and Development Bill 2023, the culmination of 15-month review of the planning system.

The Bill, if enacted, will bring greater clarity, certainty and consistency to how planning decisions are made. It will make the planning system more coherent and user-friendly for the public and planning practitioners.

Key reforms in the proposed legislation include:

• New ten year Development Plans for Local Authorities

• Increased alignment among the tiers of planning

• A significant restructuring of An Bord Pleanála with the body to be renamed An Coimisiún Pleanála

• Mandatory timelines for decision-making by An Coimisiún Pleanála


• Reform of planning Judicial Review, including the introduction of an Environmental Legal Cost Scheme

• New provisions for Urban Development Zones

The Bill represents the largest the largest reshaping of the planning system in Ireland for more than two decades. The Bill will be published in the coming weeks and will then proceed before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Announcing Cabinet approval for the new Bill, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said: "We need faster planning decisions, more timely judicial reviews and fewer of them. It's currently taking far too long for applications to get through the system and it's in all our interests to make sure the planning system is resourced properly. The Planning and Development Bill will bring more certainty and consistency to the planning process, and also make it more coherent and user-friendly. We have much to do – from housing, to renewable energy, to regional development – and this legislation will be a real step change. So let's get it done."

Tánaiste Micheál Martin added: "Housing is the single most urgent and important social issue facing our country at this time. This Bill, the third largest ever to come before the Oireachtas, will bring about fundamental improvements to our planning laws, meaning we can get on with the job of delivering Housing for All's objectives and our other major infrastructure plans."