Tipperary council appeals for speedy passage of planning appeals board reform bill through Oireachtas

Tipperary County Council’s elected members have sent a motion to the Government calling for speedy progress of the Bill proposing reform of An Bord Pleanála through the Dáil and Seanad to restore public confidence in the planning process.

The motion that acknowledges the reforms in the new Bill provide for the setting up of a new governing board of directors with oversight and new rules for the organisation, was passed by 12 votes to two at the county council’s latest monthly meeting.

The motion was proposed by Fianna Fáil Cllr John Carroll and seconded by Labour Cllr Fiona Bonfield at the end of a debate sparked by another motion tabled by Clonmel Workers & Unemployment Action Group Cllr Pat English calling on the council to vote no confidence in An Bord Pleanála in “light of the very disturbing controversy” over decisions made by the appeals board.

Cllr English said he was very concerned about the revelations last year concerning decision making by senior members of the board that undermined public confidence in the appeals process. He pointed out similar no confidence motions were passed by Dublin, Cork and Limerick local authorities.

But Fine Gael Cllr Marie Murphy countered that Cllr English’s motion was “six months too late”.

She said there was no doubt the governance of An Bord Pleanála needed to be overhauled but she noted the no confidence motions were passed by other local authorities before Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien published an action plan last October to reform An Bord Pleanála. New legislation has been drafted and is currently being considered by the Oireachtas.

She proposed instead the council welcome the fact that Minister O’Brien is taking swift steps to reform the appeals board.
Clonmel Fianna Fáil Cllr Siobhán Ambrose agreed. She said under the new bill, An Bord Pleanála’s name will be changed and the whole mechanics of running the organisation will be changed.

She contended it would be “embarrassing” to send a motion of no confidence in An Bord Pleanála when the Minister was in the process of abolishing the body.

But Cllr English rejected assertions that his motion was out of date. He didn’t believe the reforms proposed will result in the planning appeals board functioning properly.

Council CEO Joe MacGrath assured him the changes proposed were not simply a “tweaking” of the board but a “complete restructuring”.

“I am not arguing with you in relation to your concerns (about An Bord Pleanála) but I would be cautious of passing a resolution of no confidence in a body that is about to be abolished,” he said.

Cllr English still wanted the council to adopt his motion of no confidence but agreed with including an amendment, proposed by Cllr Michael Murphy, welcoming Minister O’Brien’s significant and swift steps to restore public confidence in An Bord Pleanála.

Cllr Murphy, however, said he agreed with the CEO that the motion should substantively be about “restoring confidence” rather than voting “no confidence”.

The alternative motion was then proposed by Cllr Carroll, who earlier spoke of the importance of speeding up passage of the reform legislation due to the impact of the delays in dealing with planning appeals on businesses and home builders. His motion was put to a vote. Cllr English and Independent Cllr Seamus Morris, who supported the no confidence motion, were the only two councillors who voted against its adoption.