Fórsa has continued to meet with members of the Oireachtas to raise their opposition and concerns about some of the proposed changes slated for enactment in the Planning and Development Act.

Assistant general secretary Lisa Connell explained that representatives had met with a number of TDs during the last week in order to lobby on the Bill on behalf of the union’s members at An Bord Pleanála. The legislation is currently making its way through the Oireachtas.

Lisa said: “We met with TDs Richard Boyd Barrett, Cian O’Callaghan and Eoin O’Broin to discuss key provisions of the Bill.

“These have proved to be very useful engagements, and we’re continuing to engage in this process, and raise issues of concern to Fórsa members in An Bord Pleanála,” she said.

It’s been widely reported that officials at An Bord Pleanála are pushing against plans to rename the national planning body as An Coimisiún Pleanála. Concerns among Fórsa members about the name change have arisen because members feel strongly the name still has integrity.

However, Lisa said there remains much greater concerns arising from the lack of meaningful engagement with the department on the legislation and its operational and resource implications.

The Department of Housing confirmed this week that Peter Mullan has been officially appointed as the new chairman, having previously served as interim head of An Bord Pleanála since last year, following the early retirement of former chairman Dave Walsh in late 2022.

In November last year it was reported that Paul Hyde, a former deputy chairman of ABP, avoided jail after appealing his two-month prison sentence. He had been charged with nine counts of making false or misleading declarations of interest to the planning authority between 2014 and 2022.  

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