Planning Issues

I thank the Minister of State for being here. This topic is a matter I want to raise around the introduction of planning exemptions for a sports club for certain changing facilities and, in general, to incentivise our planning system to allow for the positive development of sporting facilities by clubs. Sports clubs play an important role in all our communities, no more so than in my community in Dublin Mid-West, providing opportunities for people of all ages to participate in sport and become involved locally. At the same time, in areas like Dublin Mid-West, population growth in areas such as Lucan, Adamstown, Clonburris, Clondalkin, Newcastle, Rathcoole and others is putting increasing pressure on existing pitches, changing rooms and other sporting facilities. Many clubs that have access to their own property are working to accommodate growing membership with limited resources and, as we the Minister of State know, relying heavily on volunteers to fundraise, manage projects and improve their facilities. However, not least of all for female members, members who have additional needs or who have disabilities, for clubs to provide additional changing facilities, toilets or other basic welfare facilities for those people, the planning process can add significant time, expense and uncertainty, even for relatively modest developments, for example, under 40 sq. m or 45 sq. m. That availability of appropriate changing rooms and accessible facilities is particularly important in supporting participation among women and girls, younger players and players with disabilities. While I welcome the Government's efforts to simplify the planning system, there is low-hanging fruit here by taking a proportionate approach to smaller developments at established sports clubs that have their own established lands as well. In this House and in other places, I have consistently made the case that sports infrastructure needs to keep pace with housing development and I have advocated for proper changing rooms and storage facilities in our public parks since my time in South Dublin County Council. I pay tribute to South Dublin County Council for its investment in a pavilion programme across all its public parks. This is delivering those much-needed storage facilities and changing rooms in parks such as those at Griffeen Valley, Corkagh and Willsbrook. This modular approach is resulting in more efficient and faster delivery. That same sort of practical thinking is needed for clubs that are developing facilities on their own grounds. I have worked with many clubs across Dublin Mid-West to secure sports capital funding but securing a grant is only one part of the process. Things can slow down when converting plans into reality on the ground, costing a lot of time and resources. When drawing on volunteers to do this work, time can be an expensive commodity. With that in mind, will the Minister consider introducing a clearly defined planning exemption for modest changing rooms, toilets, storage and associated facilities at existing sports clubs, possibly where they would cover less than 40 sq. m or 45 sq. m, and obviously subject to appropriate safeguards? Will the Department look at engaging with local authorities and sporting organisations to incentivise positive engagement on the development of things like ball walls, astro pitches or all-weather pitches on existing sports grounds? This would provide for positive development and encourage clubs that are trying to grapple with ever-growing memberships, that are competing with screens and are trying to make sport attractive to everybody from all sections of society regardless of where they are from. This is a practical way to bring to life something that is very important to everybody in this House; the idea that everybody should have access to sport regardless of gender, ability or age. Putting in place a planning exemption for changing facilities and toilets is a basic thing and a very easy step Government could take to incentivise and achieve that vision of sport for all.

I thank Deputy Moynihan for raising this important matter, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy James Browne. At the outset, I will explain that the role of the Minister in relation to the planning system is primarily to provide the policy and legislative framework under which the planning authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála perform their statutory planning functions. The general position is that all developments require consent following appropriate examination by the relevant planning authority. This process allows for public participation, which is a long-established and key element of the planning process under which any person who may be affected by a proposed development may make a submission or observation in relation to a planning application. The planning authorities and An Coimisiún Pleanála must have regard to any valid submissions or observations made when making a decision to grant or refuse a planning application. A person who has made a submission or observation on a planning application that a planning authority has decided to grant or refuse may subsequently appeal that decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála or make a further submission in relation to an appeal of that decision. In some circumstances, where there is a level of uniformity and similarity in the nature of developments and where such developments would get planning permission if the regular processes were followed, it makes sense to relieve the planning system of the burden of carrying out such repeated assessments and to provide an exemption for the need to apply for consent. Criteria for such exemptions have been developed over time and are provided for in the Planning and Development Act 2000, as amended, and the supplementary Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended. So long as a development conforms with the specified set of criteria, it should be possible for it to be permitted without any controversy. In all other cases, it is important that the usual planning processes continue to be applied. The criteria that apply to planning exemptions have been under review in recent years as part of the transition to the new Planning and Development Act 2024. A public consultation on the matter was held in 2025, which received over 900 submissions. I advise Deputy Moynihan that the matter of changing facilities for sports clubs was not raised as a theme under the public consultation and there are no plans to introduce any such exemption at this time. The current focus is on exemptions for the delivery of critical infrastructure and other matters raised during this consultation, such as exemptions for domestic dwellings. I also note that where local authorities own land, they may provide sports facilities under the general exemption in section 4 of the 2000 Act, subject to the Part 8 process. As the Deputy will know, this is a reserved function of the elected members and a matter for the relevant local authority. I remind Deputy Moynihan that under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage shall not exercise any power or control in relation to any particular case.

I thank the Minister of State for setting out and clarifying the criteria for exemptions under the planning guidelines and the planning and development Acts. I respectfully suggest that if something is not raised in the public consultation but is raised in Dáil Éireann, that probably is a good enough reason to consider giving it some sort of detailed analysis. I respectfully submit that this is perhaps something the Minister of State could look at, or ask officials to look at, in terms of its timeliness, not least the fact that we spend an unprecedented amount of money pumping investment, and rightly so, into our sports clubs around the country. For a modest investment that incentivises female participation in sport, surely to God we should consider whether a planning exemption is appropriate for something that is smaller than 40 sq. m, notwithstanding the fact that it was not raised in a public consultation. I hope the fact that it was raised on the floor of this House is enough currency to ensure it is given adequate attention. For example, we are now rightly and at last removing the planning requirements around things like bus shelters. I respectfully suggest that something like changing facilities for women and girls is as important, if not more important, as bus shelters in terms of those exemptions. I ask that it be considered as part of this. This is a fundamental point related to a deeper theme that many clubs mention to me during discussions, namely, the difficulty in getting volunteers. It sometimes feels we are making it very difficult for volunteers to engage in their clubs. We should take a volunteer-led approach to some of these issues around the support that sports clubs need. We did it with the sports capital programme. It is easier to apply for those grants. We should look at things like planning permissions, and what clubs need to do to satisfy planning conditions and make it easier for the volunteers who give their time freely to develop all the people in our community regardless of their background or gender. That should be recognised, and sometimes it feels like we should do a bit more to make it easier for people to volunteer and value the fact that they are giving so freely of their time. I ask the Minister of State to go back and ask officials to look at this, notwithstanding that it was not raised in public consultation, but it has been raised in the floor of the House.

I again thank the Deputy for raising this topic, which I am taking on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Deputy Browne. The Department of housing is in the process of commencing the Planning and Development Act 2024 on a phased basis to facilitate the transition to a new legislative framework across the planning system, taking into account the need to liaise with local authorities, planning bodies and other stakeholders. The Planning and Development Act 2000 shall continue to operate until such a time as Part 4, development consents, of the 2024 Act is brought into operation. The planning exemptions in the Planning and Development Regulations 2001, as amended, shall remain in effect until they are revoked through the regulations under section 9 of the Planning and Development 2024, as amended. As mentioned, the priority is to transfer existing exemptions and any appropriate modifications which were highlighted through the public consultation in 2025. As I said, there are currently no plans to introduce any new exemptions in relation to sports clubs' changing facilities and the usual planning laws will continue to be applied to such projects. I will bring the points the Deputy raised to the attention of the Department and the Minister for housing, as I have no doubt he will also do in his own way. Under section 30 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage shall not exercise any power or control in relation to any particular case which a planning authority or local authority is or may be concerned with. This means that the Minister is specifically prevented from interfering in such cases. This is of the upmost importance in maintaining the independence of the planning authority or the commission. I trust this sets out the current position.