Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2010

The 2010 Act was signed into Irish Law by the President on 26 July 2010, and, a commencement order was signed on 19 August bringing some sections of the Act into force.  Other sections of the Act will come into force on 28th September 2010.  The Act introduces a number of significant amendments to existing planning law including more notably: the requirement that all development plans and local area plans are consistent with national and regional planning policy; changes to the circumstances that permits an extension to the duration of planning permission; and the introduction of substitute consent in exceptional circumstances for retention planning applications.

The Act has yet to be published but will be shortly available on:
http://www.environ.ie/en/Legislation/DevelopmentandHousing/Planning/

Adopted Regional Planning Guidelines for Greater Dublin Area 2010-2022

The Guidelines were adopted by the Dublin and Mid-East Regional Authorities on the 15th of June 2010. The Guidelines cover the Councils of Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown, Dublin City, Fingal and South Dublin in the Dublin Region and Kildare, Meath and Wicklow County Council areas in the Mid-East Region. The Guidelines have increased significance as each Council must ensure that its Development Plan(s) and Local Area Plan(s) adhered to the policies contained therein.

The Guidelines can be downloaded at www.rpg.ie

Draft Dublin City Development Plan 2011 – 2017: Proposed Amendments

Dublin City Council has recently published the Proposed Amendments to the Draft City Development Plan. The Proposed Amendments will be on public display until 15th September 2010, when members of the public have an opportunity to make submissions/observations. The most notable amendments are a reduction in the heights and densities than originally proposed in the Draft Plan.

The Draft Development Plan and the Proposed Amendments can be viewed at www.dublincitydevelopmentplan.ie

RTÉ

A planning application for the development of a new broadcasting facility at the RTÉ Campus in Donnybrook, Dublin 4 was submitted by Tíros Resources Limited on behalf of RTÉ in October 2009.  The new broadcasting facility signifies a new era in digital broadcasting and will provide RTÉ with the capability of embracing new technology, such as Digital Terrestrial Television (“DTT”), the internet and HD technology in a high quality design setting.  A Decision to Grant Permission was issued by Dublin City Council in April 2010.  An Oral Hearing is being held in relation to the application in late September 2010.  

DART Underground

A Draft Railway Order for the DART Underground was submitted to An Bord Pleanála by CIÉ on 30th June 2010.  Tíros are the planning consultants for the project.  DART Underground consists of approximately 8.6 km of new rail from Inchicore to East Wall, including approximately 7.6 km of twinned tunnels below the City.  It also includes 6 new stations at Inchicore, Heuston, Christchurch, St Stephen’s Green, Pearse and the Docklands.  An Oral Hearing is expected to be conducted by An Bord Pleanála in October 2010.