2025 In Review: Significant Year For Planning & Environmental Decisions

2025 has been a significant year for planning and environmental decisions. In this article Stephen Barry, reviews six significant High Court decisions from 2025, focusing on Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) specific case law trends. He also sets out what steps developers can take to avoid judicial review and minimise their exposure when undertaking EIAs.

(1) Coolglass Windfarm Ltd v. An Bord Pleanála

This decision is highly relevant to developers because it addresses how planning authorities must approach climate obligations and the exercise of discretion in the context of renewable energy developments. The case involved a challenge to the refusal of a 10-year Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) permission for a wind farm, where An Bord Pleanála (“the Board”) had relied on the wrong statutory provision, and failed to independently consider its obligations under Section 15 of the Climate Action Act 2015 (as amended) and Section 37G(6) of the Planning