Ireland’s planning law must be updated to stop 'serial objectors' stalling badly needed infrastructural projects.
Fine Gael Senator Tim Lombard has said a change is need to the planning laws to ensure that "serial objectors" cannot stall badly needed infrastructural projects.
Planning development bills are reviewed every three or four years with public consultation, pre-legislative scrutiny and the Oireachtas Committee on Local Government.
Senator Lombard told Breakfast Briefing changes have to be made.
"We have, what I could consider, serial objectors who are getting involved in cases that aren't even in their own province - nevermind county," he said.
"They're objecting to infrastructural projects, small and big, regarding what's happening in rural Ireland.
"We've had a scenario that, even minor extensions to milking parlours in places like west Cork, we've objectors coming in from Leinster and this part of the world.
"It just doesn't make sense".
'Objecting to the industry'
Senator Lombard said there has to be some criteria in relation to where you live.
"The files that I would have seen would have been in very remote areas, and the objector literally was hundreds of miles away," he said.
"I think they're objecting to them not because of what they've seen on the site, or what they believe, but because they've an issue with whatever the industry that is involved.
"We must make sure that it has to be a person who lives locally, who's affected by the application, has the right to object".
'Viciously opposed'
On wider environmental projects, Senator Lombard said that's where the local authority comes in.
"That's why the local authority looks at all aspects," he said. “When you make an application to the local authority, they look at the six major core aspects of that application.
"That's their remit, that's why the actual planning development law is there.
"If it's appealed it goes to the board and it goes through the exact same issues as well – but this isn't people that are concerned about the environment.
“This is people, in my opinion, that are viciously opposed to issues on a pure ethos basis,” he added.
