PRESS RELEASE 27^th April 2004  

Green Party urges Cullen to answer Ombudsman’s calls for better planning enforcement

The Green Party has called on Martin Cullen, the Minister for the Environment, to state what plans he has to improve the standard of planning enforcement in local authorities. The Ombusdsman, Emily O’Reilly, has urged local authorities to improve their track record on the enforcement of planning law at the launch of her first annual report earlier today.

Green Party Planning spokesperson, Ciarán Cuffe TD, said today that, “For several years the Ombudsman has drawn attention to the inadequate levels of planning enforcement in Ireland. Emily O’Reilly, the new Ombudsman, is equally concerned about this seminal issue. 

Planning enforcement in is under-staffed, under-funded and under-prioritised. Improvements must start at the top and we are calling on Minister Cullen to put the necessary resources at the disposal of local authorities so that they can address this issue.”

“Last week I tabled the following question to the Minister. I am not optimistic of a positive response to the issue,” concluded Deputy Cuffe.

“To ask the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to detail what steps he intends taking to improve Planning Enforcement following the RTE Primetime Programme on 19th April 2004 which detailed serious failings in the Irish Planning System principally in the area of Planning Enforcement?”

ENDS