COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, June 08, 2026

QUESTION NO. 15

QUESTION: Councillor E. Ó Broin

To ask the Chief Executive whether there is a mechanism for public representatives or members of the public to discuss with planners the acceptance of a developer’s choice of landscaping and external finishing materials in a new development, without having to make a planning enforcement complaint?

REPLY:

Landscaping and external materials are generally detailed in plans provided as part of planning applications. Elected members and the public can make submissions on such matters as part of the public consultation, which the planning authority will have regard to.

In many grants of planning permission, matters of detailed design may be required to be agreed by way of a compliance condition. Whether in assessing a planning application or assessing a compliance submission, the planning authority is guided by the County Development Plan which includes policy in relation to material finishes and planting / landscaping. The planning authority is required by planning legislation to deal with compliance submissions within a statutory timeframe.

There is no mechanism for planners to formally discuss the landscaping or external finishes of individual planning applications with elected members or the public once permission is granted. The Planning Authority does not have the resources or statutory support to consult on compliance submissions. The review and preparation of a new County Development Plan is an opportunity to shape the policy of the Council on such issues.