2026-05-13

I raise an issue that communities all over the country can relate to, namely, proper community engagement. These are three very important words. We hear the phrase all the time. It is in development plans, policy documents and Government reports. Developers talk about it while councils and other State bodies say they are doing it. It even came up in two Oireachtas reports that I worked on this week. However, what does "community engagement" really mean and does it actually make any difference? Many communities feel that the answer is "No" because there are no proper standards to judge whether engagement was real and meaningful or whether it was just a public meeting followed by a report that backed a decision that was already made. This is not real community engagement. It just looks like community engagement, and people can see through that. There are already some good examples of how proper engagement can be delivered. They involve people being generally included, consultations happening early enough to influence decisions and public feedback actually being listened to. These are not radical ideas. They are basic common sense, but the problem is they are voluntary. As we all know, in planning voluntary rules mean nothing. When a community in east or west Clare is being consulted about a wind turbine project that will affect its area for years to come, it deserves to know the process meets a proper recognised standard, not whatever the developer decides is good enough for the area. My ask is simple. Will the Government consider introducing a national legal standard for community engagement in planning, policy decisions and grant funding? Will projects have to show that engagement was meaningful before planning permission or final approval is granted? Right now, we are spending public money on consultation that communities do not trust, reports they do not believe in and decisions they feel they have no real say in. That is not good planning and it damages trust between people and the State. We do not need to start from the beginning. There are already good examples that could help create an Irish standard but we need the political will to make it a requirement instead of just a nice idea.

I thank Deputy Cooney for raising what is a very important matter and giving us the opportunity to update the House. Stakeholder public engagement is one of the most important principles underlining the planning system, with the need for engagement with local communities being of particular importance to enable every citizen to have their say in how their area grows and develops over time. Under the Planning and Development Act 2024, planning authorities are required to consult State agencies, prescribed authorities and members of the public when preparing development plans and determining planning applications. These legal requirements ensure that planning decisions are transparent, sustainable and consistent with national and regional policy objectives. The Planning and Development Act 2024 strengthens the emphasis on a plan-led approach to development, with co-ordinated planning and collaboration between public bodies to identify future requirements for schools, healthcare facilities, transport systems and utilities before major developments are approved. Importantly, the planning process is not limited to institutional consultation alone. Public and community engagement is a core principle underpinning the 2024 Act. Members of the public, community organisations, environmental groups, business interests and other stakeholders have an important role in shaping the future development of their areas. Public participation requirements ensure that communities are given opportunities to engage during the preparation of development plans, local area plans and planning schemes, including in relation to the zoning of land for different purposes. Statutory public consultation periods and engagement initiatives undertaken by planning authorities in developing these plans help to promote accountability and democratic transparency within the planning system, recognising that such plans ultimately guide and inform decision-making on planning applications. The reforms introduced by the Planning and Development Act 2024 seek to create a more coherent, efficient and accessible planning system while preserving strong safeguards for democratic participation and inter-agency co-ordination.

I thank the Minister of State. Every one of us in this House knows of a local project, very often an energy project, in respect of which communities were angry about how developers engaged with them, or about whether they engaged with them at all. Instead of constantly dealing with these disputes, should we not create a clear set of standards that every public and private body must follow, whether it involves a major infrastructure project, a Department policy, the allocation of public funding or a county development plan? This is not about giving communities a veto; it is about making sure that when a project is to have a major impact on people's lives, engagement happens early enough to shape it before all the important decisions are made. If we want climate projects, roads and housing developments to proceed more quickly and with less public opposition, we need proper national standards that every developer must follow before applying for planning permission. At present, too many communities feel that consultation begins only after the real decisions have already been taken. That damages trust from the very start and can cause much avoidable concern in communities. It is my intention to bring forward a Private Members' Bill to create national statutory standards for community engagement that all public bodies and private developers will have to follow. I hope the Minister of State will support it.

Again, I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. The Planning and Development Act 2024 recognises that strong and sustainable communities are best supported through meaningful public participation in local development planning and decision-making. Effective planning is not solely about technical assessments or infrastructure co-ordination; it is also about ensuring communities have a genuine opportunity to shape the future of the places in which they live, work and raise their families. The Act strengthens the importance of engagement at all stages of the planning process, from the preparation of development plans and local area plans to consultation on individual planning applications and broader regeneration initiatives. Early and constructive consultation with residents, community groups, voluntary groups and local stakeholders, including local businesses, helps to improve transparency and build public awareness. As the provisions of the 2024 Act are commenced, meaningful community participation will remain a central element of a modern, democratic and plan-led system that seeks to deliver sustainable development and an improved quality of life for communities across Ireland.