COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 14, 2021

QUESTION NO. 13

QUESTION: Councillor Peter Kavanagh

To ask the Chief Executive for an update on outstanding planning enforcement complaints and if he will make a statement on any COVID-related delays to ongoing investigations.

REPLY:

Currently there are 711 ongoing planning enforcement complaints. Although there were significant delays due to the onset of the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, presently there are no covid related delays to ongoing investigations. A risk assessment is carried out before an inspection is conducted.  There have been instances where respondents have requested that we hold processes until they get their vaccine/ are in isolation due to being a close contact /are infected with covid 19.  There have also been delays when respondents had difficulty sourcing personnel to carry out work particularly during the construction ban.

Planning enforcement are working on a priority basis, and getting through the complaints as quickly as they can. Sometimes issues arise where a complaint has to be immediately investigated, and this can impact caseload but this would be because of its priority. The number of complaints has increased significantly during the pandemic as people are working from home and are more aware of planning issues, which they may have previously ignored.  There has been an increase in residential building activity during part of lockdown which may not be planning compliant. The commercial response to the pandemic of business owners is to adapt to the situation which may not be planning compliant. This extra volume has to be factored in also.