“There are known knowns, things we know that
we know; and there are known unknowns, things
that we know we don’t know. But there are also
unknown unknowns, things we do not know we
don’t know.”

― Donald Rumsfeld (1932 – 2021)

Tom Phillips + Associates have published the second edition of the Practice’s annual review of invalidation rates of planning applications by planning authorities. (Invalidation is an administrative process that does not pass judgement on the merits or otherwise of the Application; rather that it meets the requirements of the Planning and Development Regulations.)

Highlighting that some 61,476 No. planning applications (15.3% of the 401,748 No. Applications lodged) were (needlessly) invalidated in the 12 year period 2009-2020, the Report presents an argument to eradicate invalidation by the introduction of a paid-for service.

The Report estimates that for the 12 years studied local Planning Authorities could have generated in the order of €2.8 million per annum based on an average of €100 per application. (A higher figure could be charged for larger schemes within that cohort.)

The Report also examines the rates of refusal by planning authorities – questioning why some of Ireland’s planning authorities have consistently high refusal rates? For example, why is an Applicant six times’ more likely to be refused by Kildare County Council than Tipperary County Council?

This extensive Report takes a critical review of the first 250 No. Strategic Housing Developments (SHDs) determined by An Bord Pleanála, and of Ireland’s 11 No. Strategic Development Zones (SDZs). It questions whether the perceived conflict between “plan-led development” and “developer-led planning” is so clear cut and why little is being done to redress the exponential growth in Judicial Review proceedings against housing development?

Planning permission has been filed for the development of 482 apartments as a Strategic Housing Development (SHD) on a site at Golf Lane, Carrickmines in south county Dublin . The proposed apartments will be spread over seven blocks with one building reaching 22-storeys in height, making it the joint-highest residential building in Dublin. But locals are not happy and we heard from local Labour Councillor Lettie McCarthy and Tom Phillips, Managing Director of Tom Phillips associates, and adjunct Assoc. Professor Of Architecture and Planning at UCD. (12 January 2021). All rights of recording and broadcast belong to RTÉ Radio 1, please visit their website for more information.

More than 300,000 No. planning applications were lodged with Ireland’s planning authorities in the eleven–year period of 2009-2019, across all development types. Of those, more than 55,000 No. (or c. 15%) were invalidated. What can be done to redress that percentage, that benefits all parties?