Statement on draft bill proposing a change in the prescribed status of An Taisce

STATEMENT — 9th October 2024

An Taisce notes today’s Dáil debate on a draft bill proposing a change in the prescribed status of An Taisce as a statutory consultee in the Irish planning system. 

An Taisce, Ireland’s oldest environmental charity, with over 500,000 volunteers and members, has been written into the planning regulations as a prescribed body since the early 1960s. In simple terms, this means when a planning application might impact the environment or built heritage, the planning authorities seek our views on the application.  

The Bill was presented today, in the name of the Rural Independent Group, with the claim on their part that in the pursuit of its role as a Statutory Consultee, An Taisce has blocked or stunted investment and/or job creation and is impairing the rural economy and rural society. 

It is important to state clearly what the role of a prescribed consultee entails. It does not grant us decision-making powers. Instead, our role is to ensure that the government, through the planning authorities and agencies acting in its name, is abiding by policies it has already signed up to, and by the laws and regulations it is legally obliged to implement.  

As a consultee, we hold the State to account for the things it has already agreed to do and offer observations and recommendations on things we believe could be improved to safeguard natural and built heritage. It is a role we take incredibly seriously, devoting a large chunk of our time and resources to deliver an evidence based and scientifically informed perspective.   

There is nothing about what An Taisce does that should threaten anyone who has the wider interests of the country and its future at heart. Removing the independent voice of An Taisce from the planning process, and thereby removing the sole environmental NGO with this special function, would reduce the level of independent scrutiny given to investment and development. This should concern every citizen. 

A mature, well-functioning democracy has nothing to fear from the scrutiny of a body like An Taisce, and we welcome the widely expressed support and appreciation by both Government and opposition TDs in the Dáil for the important work An Taisce does.  

Ultimately, it is in the public's interest to know that our precious natural and built heritage continues to be strongly and actively advocated for by An Taisce. We will continue to speak up for sustainable development backed by the evidence of science to ensure there is a balance in development and in planning. We thank our members and those that support us on an ongoing basis.  

Ní neart go cur le chéile, there’s no strength without unity.  

Banner image: Creative Commons Ardfern, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons