Planning objections have become a legal industry, official claims
The legal profession has turned planning objections into an 'industry' as people 'run down to the Four Courts' to block new projects, a member of the Government's infrastructure taskforce has said.
Sean O'Driscoll, chairman of the
Economic and Social Research Institute
(ESRI), said that in a democratic society, 'common good must always prevail over individual rights'.
'A very small number of people make a lot of noise, run down to the Four Courts to get a judicial review. And [they] are supported by the legal system, who are prepared to take their cases on a 'no fault with no fee' basis,' Mr O'Driscoll said.
'I think that that is wrong.'
READ MORE
Mr O'Driscoll is one of 12 people appointed to a new infrastructure taskforce attempting to unblock barriers to important economic projects.
Announced in May by Minister for Public Expenditure
Jack Chambers
, it forms part of a Government strategy to speed up delivery of schemes such as
housing
.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne show, Mr O'Driscoll said the bar for getting a judicial review against planning decisions was too low. Such judicial reviews give the public the opportunity to challenge planning decisions.
'Judicial reviews were put in place for a very good reason, but they were not put in place for what they are now being used for,' he said.
Mr O'Driscoll also warned that Ireland would not be able to continue to attract international investment if it did not invest in
data centres
.
'You cannot attract companies like Apple, Microsoft, Google into Ireland and say to them, we'd like some of your jobs, but we're not going to provide you with data centres. We can provide them with data centres if we invest in our infrastructure,' he said.
He dismissed a target of generating 5GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, which had been backed by the
Green Party
.
'It is a myth, it won't happen, it isn't happening,' he said.
'A lot of those investors have left town, and they've decided Ireland is too difficult a place to do business in from a planning perspective.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
11 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
Govt green light €148.2m purchase of Dublin hotel & campus to house asylum seekers despite local's anger at move
THE Government has approved the purchase of the Citywest Hotel and Convention Centre for €148.2 million, the Justice Minister has said. Advertisement 2 Jim O'Callaghan said the move is 'value for money' in the long term Credit: PA He said it would be used as a screening centre where applications for Minister O'Callaghan added it was in line with the commitment in the programme for He said there are no 'immediate' plans to expand the number of places at Citywest, which is currently being used as a reception centre for asylum seekers and The Fianna Fail TD said: 'Over a period of four years, we believe we'd be in the position where we would have got our money back in terms of the investment. Advertisement READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS 'Over a longer period of time, if you compare what we're spending in the private sector from the amount of Locals from Saggart protested outside They raised concerns about losing the amenity of the hotel complex and about demand for services. Minister of State Colm Brophy said that local representatives would be engaged with so that the local community is informed. Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun He said the decision was being made on a 'value for money' basis and that if it is directly owned by the State, it can save around 50 per cent of the operating costs. He said: 'Very importantly, the purchase of Citywest will not result in any immediate increase in numbers. Stark pictures show migrant 'tent city' weaving through roads outside Dublin asylum processing centre 'The plan with Citywest is very simply to develop the asset and make sure that we have the ability, particularly under the Migration Pact, to have a state-of-the-art processing facility whereby people's applications can be cleared within 13 weeks from when they arrive in the country.' He added: 'Citywest has actually been working very effectively in terms of having an Ipas centre there, having Ukrainians also present, and having a range of services and facilities which have been working effectively and successfully for many, many years. Advertisement 'We are not planning on changing those numbers.' 2 The purchase of the Citywest Hotel for €148.2million has been approved Credit:
Irish Times
25 minutes ago
- Irish Times
Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman stepping aside temporarily due to commentary ‘detracting' from work
Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland Marie Anderson is to step aside temporarily because of 'current commentary', which she said was 'detracting' from the focus of her work. On Tuesday, Ms Anderson said she was taking a leave of absence with immediate effect. Authority will be delegated to the body's chief executive and senior staff in her absence 'to ensure the vital work of the office continues', she said. Unionist parties had called for Ms Anderson to temporarily stand down following an alleged incident at her home in Co Down in September 2023. A man was arrested and later issued with a police caution. READ MORE Earlier this month a file was sent to the North's Public Prosecution Service (PPS) following the conclusion of an investigation, which was carried out by West Midlands Police at the request of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. A spokeswoman for the PPS said one individual was reported for potential offences of perverting the course of justice and misconduct in public office. Ms Anderson is a solicitor and member of the Law Society of Northern Ireland. She was appointed Police Ombudsman in 2019 having been a former Public Services Ombudsman and deputy Police Ombudsman. As ombudsman, she is responsible for overseeing investigations into complaints about police conduct. She said that 'although I had decided to retire in December this year, which would have allowed me to fulfil my commitments to delivering the outcomes of investigations to a number of bereaved families, it has become increasingly clear that current commentary is detracting from the focus of that work. 'I am extremely grateful to those families who put their trust in me. And it is their interests which are at the heart of my decision to take a temporary leave of absence with immediate effect.' Ms Anderson said she had 'every confidence in all my staff and know they will work diligently' and she thanked them for their support in recent times. Trevor Clarke, a DUP MLA and member of the Policing Board scrutiny body, said Ms Anderson 'should have stepped aside at the time' but the statement 'appears to have only come following more significant public discussion on the news'. 'During that time there has been continued damage to public confidence in the Ombudsman's office,' he added.
The Journal
30 minutes ago
- The Journal
Taoiseach tells Ivana Bacik she 'didn't have the courage' to be in Government
TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN lashed out at Labour leader Ivana Bacik during Leaders' Questions today, telling her she did not 'have the courage' to be in Government. The heated exchange came as the Labour leader accused the Government of 'chaotic decision-making' in relation to rental regulation. Referring to the Government's decision to extend Rent Pressure Zones (RPZs) across the country, Bacik said: 'Of course we support the extension of RPZs across the country, but not a hollowed out version of RPZs that offer no real protections for renters.' In response to her comments, the Taoiseach said the Government's actions will help increase the supply of rental properties. He then claimed that the Labour Party would not make 'difficult decisions' to increase supply. 'You will not support anything that in any way you perceive to be injurious to your electoral base or might cost you a few votes. That's the prism through which you're looking at our housing crisis,' he said. Bacik hit back:'I think anyone watching will be wondering when you're going to take political responsibility for the housing crisis. 'You're the Taoiseach, you're in Government, your party and Fine Gael have effectively governed together for the best part of a decade, and yet you're resorting to throwing critiques of the opposition for not building homes.' The Taoiseach then said that he had 'no difficulty' taking responsibility. 'You're the opposition, you say. You could have been in Government, you could have been a Government. 'You could have been a Government, but you didn't have the courage,' he said. Advertisement 'You and many in your party didn't have the courage,' Martin said, adding that he knows former Labour leader and TD Alan Kelly did want to go into Government, 'to be fair to him'. The Labour Party walked away from Government formation talks in December last year after the general election. At the time, Bacik said it was because the policy gap between her party and Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael was too large. Rental regulation Leaders' questions in the Dáil today focused on the Government's proposed changes to how the rental sector in Ireland is regulated. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald accused the Government of implementing changes that will lead to rent hikes for tenants. She said the changes will be a 'blueprint to boost the profit of the big boys and to screw over renters'. 'That's your plan, and you do this during a persistent cost-of-living crisis, when people are hit with price hikes right across the board. Over the last four years, the cost of the weekly shop has skyrocketed by €3000 a year for many, many families,' she said. Likewise, Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore used her slot to criticise the Government's changes to rental regulation. 'You've been planning these rental reforms for months, and yet you made an absolute hames of them last week. Even your own Cabinet colleagues couldn't make sense of them,' she said. 'For the avoidance of any doubt, there was one simple thing that these reforms were to do, and that was to drive rents higher,' Whitmore said. Defending the changes, the Taoiseach said reforms will enhance protection for renters and highlighted the fact that every existing tenant will have their rents capped at 2% once the emergency legislation to extend the RPZs is passed later this week. Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
