The planning process in Ireland is so slow and bureaucratic it is holding the country back, the business and employers' organisation, IBEC, said yesterday.
In a paper, Towards a More Effective Planning System, IBEC claims a more streamlined process would help relieve the housing crisis and speed up the provision of necessary infrastructure.
IBEC criticised the delays in the revision of the planning process which was promised in Partnership 2000. An undertaking was given to streamline the system "to minimise delays and uncertainties which can discourage enterprise and investment and reduce the competitiveness of business, especially small enterprises".
IBEC says the Government acted quickly on the demand side of the housing problem following publication last year of the Bacon report. However, it adds, the Government is only now beginning to tackle the no less important issue of supply.
It recommends that planning authorities should be directed to move towards increased density development, in conjunction with higher design standards. IBEC also recommends that more land should be zoned for residential use, in particular along or adjacent to major transport routes.
We can no longer tolerate the "paralysis" within the planning system which results in, for example, the time taken to secure planning permission for a priority road project being up to six years, IBEC says. IBEC claims this is twice as long as in other EU states.
"Inertia is stifling the development of roads, public transport projects, waste, sewage and water supply," it says.
IBEC recommends that the present system should be streamlined to make it more capable of dealing with consultation, public inquiry and environmental impact statements at an early stage of a project. It calls for the allocation of additional resources to clear current planning bottlenecks.
IBEC also urges the establishment of a single greater Dublin planning authority which would remove planning issues from the three local authorities and councils in adjacent counties. It observes: "The scale of the infrastructural and congestion challenge in Dublin may require such radical action."
IBEC calls for a "fast-tracking mechanism" to be introduced for priority investment projects, but says suitable democratic safeguards should accompany this so that legitimate third-party objections can be entertained.