Is Ireland’s planning system broken?

Inside Business with Ciaran Hancock

Last week a high-profile residential property scheme for Dundrum village in Dublin, that would have delivered 881 apartments and a mix of commercial units, was rejected by An Bord Pleanála.

The scheme had first been proposed in 2021 by Hammerson and Allianz who between them owned the land. In a rejection letter the board was strong in its language noting the excessive density, height and scale, together with its “monolithic appearance”. And that it would have had an overbearing impact on neighbouring residential properties.

This decision prompted Cliff Taylor of the Irish Times to write a column on the issue and its relevance to the housing crisis here. He joins host Ciarán Hancock on this week’s episode of Inside Business.

Also joining the show is Tom Phillips, an experienced planning consultant who has been involved in a number of large development applications, but not the one for Dundrum. He gives his thoughts on how the planning system works, the role of planning consultants, and the contradictions in the current system that are holding us back as we seek to break the log jam of the housing crisis.

Produced by John Casey with JJ Vernon on sound.

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