Labour’s Cllr Keith Martin says the Green Party’s proposals to reduce the number of planning authorities in the country is a step backwards and an attack on the autonomy of town councils and their ability to develop their own areas.In its submission to the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on Local Government Reform the Green Party proposes that “only city and county councils retain planning functions in regard to development control. This would reduce the amount of Planning Authorities from 88 to 33”.
Cllr Martin says this is a step backwards for local government as the accepted principal for good local government was “government and decision making which takes place at the lowest possible and practical level.
“The current system whereby each local authority determines its own planning decisions works and is the most accessible to the local population and councillors. Removing Westport Town Council’s planning department and placing planning in the hands of Mayo County Council removes yet another vital function of local government from Town Councils and flies in the face of the Green Party’s stated aim of strengthening local government.”
Cllr Martin concluded “I don’t pretend that planning decisions are perfect but removing the planning powers from our council and handing them to the County Council is no solution, all it does is add another layer of bureaucracy to the system and increase the distance between the citizen and the decision makers.”
Read the Green Party's proposal here
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