Major discrepancies in the decision-making record of local authorities warrant an evaluation of the effectiveness of the planning process, according to the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
In a report on the planning appeals system, published yesterday, Mr John Purcell says neither An Bord Pleanála nor the Department of the Environment monitors the quality of planning decisions. The CAG found that the appeals board had overturned decisions by local authorities to grant planning permission, at rates that varied from a low of 12 per cent for Co Meath to a high of 56 per cent for Co Carlow.
In the case of appeals by applicants against refusals of permission, the rate of overturn of local authority decisions ranged from 8 per cent for Co Leitrim to 33 per cent for Limerick city in the same period (1995 to 2000).
A considerable number of decisions are either reversed outright or varied. In 2000, 27 per cent of all decisions considered on appeal were reversed while a further 31 per cent had the conditions attached to the original decision varied. "Although some deviation from the national norms is to be expected, high rates of overturn on appeal suggest that certain planning authorities' decision making would merit deeper examination," Mr Purcell says.
Overall, 7 per cent of all planning decisions were appealed. There was a greater tendency to challenge refusals, with 29 per cent of all applications refused coming before the board while only 4 per cent of cases where permission is granted were appealed.
Rates of appeal against decisions of individual local authorities also varied considerably, from a low of 12 per cent for Co Wexford to highs of 50 per cent for Galway city, 51 per cent for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and 58 per cent for Dublin city.
The board "needs to consider how it can contribute to adjustment and learning on the part of planning authorities by isolating the main causes of overturns of original decisions and relaying the trends and patterns to the authorities", the report says.
Though An Bord Pleanála was found to have adequate systems in place to evaluate its performance in quantitative terms, it had no formal method of monitoring the quality of its decisions; it has now "undertaken to examine how this might be done". The board has also recently begun to set out reasons in cases where its final decisions depart from a planning inspector's recommendation. Such "departures" should also be analysed and categorised "to provide feedback to inspectors", according to the CAG. Commenting on the report, An Taisce said any review of planning decisions "must be done single-mindedly and systematically, addressing all factors including the impact of Government policy and including precise recommendations".
The full text of the Value for Money Report on Planning Appeals is on The Irish Times website at www.ireland.com.
