Temporary Changes To The Irish Planning Regime

Given the restrictions on movement currently in place, it has been acknowledged that the timelines set out in the Planning and Development Act 2000 (the "Planning Act") are not sustainable. Therefore, to ensure the planning process continues to operate in an open and fair manner during the pandemic, a new Section 251A to the Planning Act was included as part of the Public Interest (Covid – 19) Act 2020 (the "Act") (link to act here). This section allows the Government to disregard the period between 29 March 2020 to 20 April 2020 (this period has been extended to 9 May 2020) (the "Emergency Period") when calculating statutory timelines contained in the Planning Act, the Building Control Act 1990; the Derelict Sites Act 1990; the Urban Regeneration and Housing Act 2015; and the Planning and Development (Housing) and Residential Tenancies Act 2016 and any provisions or regulations relating to same. It is important to note that the Act allows the Government to further