Planning appeals are likely to be processed faster as a result of new measures introduced by An Bord Pleannala, according to its Chairman, Mr John O’Connor.
In the agency’s annual report published today, the chairman said 49 additional planners working on a fee-per-case basis and contracts with seven private consultancy firms would provide major benefits in terms of reducing the time taken to process appeals.
The extra planners are largely UK-based, though Mr O’Connor said An Bord Pleannala has also had success recruiting full-time inspectors from abroad, notably South Africa.
Mr O’Connor said the Board was giving priority to dealing with major infrastructural projects but stressed the "independence, impartiality and transparency" of the agency would not be compromised.
The annual report shows the overall percentage of local authority decisions being appealed has remained steady over the year 2000 at 7 per cent while third-party appeals continue to rise at 44 per cent.
The report said the success rate of third-party appeals is also increasing, standing at 46 per cent in the current year.
The chairman said a major review of the Board by independent consultants will soon be complete and "will be of great assistance in deciding on the future structuring and resourcing of the Board".