Sir, – David Doran writes (Letters, April 14th) that he “suspects the move to strike out the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council requirement has more to do with pressure from developers than proper planning development”.
Let me allay any such suggestions regarding the role of the Office of the Planning Regulator. We are statutorily obliged to assess local authority statutory plans, such as development plans, to ensure that they appropriately apply national and regional planning policies to local circumstances. We are wholly independent. In assessing local authority plans, all we seek to ensure is that they provide for proper planning and sustainable development. In addition, we work closely with all local authorities at every step in the plan-making process and we also provide training and research supports to elected members and planning staff, as a glance at our website will reveal. Pressure or entreaties from external groups have no influence whatsoever in our deliberations. – Yours, etc,
NIALL CUSSEN,
Chief Executive,
Office of the Planning
Regulator,
Grangegorman,
Dublin 7