Minister for Housing James Browne to enact ‘clean up’ of planning reforms 

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne TD welcomed the signing of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026 into law today by the President of Ireland. 

Minister James Browne TD emphasised:

“All of us want an efficient, fair and transparent planning system but I am now demanding that the system is responsive and not needlessly tied up in knots and tripping over itself in processes. 

“The changes in this Bill will fast-track necessary reform to our planning system. This is badly needed to speed up home delivery of all types across the country. We have talked a lot about the role judicial reviews play in delays, I am tackling that head on.”

The new Act will speed up the implementation of the new procedural rules for planning Judicial Review that were introduced in the 2024 Planning Act. This Act will apply the measures to any remaining acts or decisions made under the 2000 Act.

This includes beneficial measures such as the removal of the requirement to apply for ‘leave’ to apply for Judicial Review proceedings. 

It also includes enabling a case to be remitted back to the point at which a procedural breach may have occurred, as an alternative to the whole case having to be quashed and removes the possibility of further legal appeal to the Court of Appeal, all of which reduce time and remove unnecessary additional legal costs to all parties.

The introduction of these measures at an earlier date is intended to result in a reduction of unnecessary delays and accelerate the delivery of critical decisions - ultimately speeding up housing delivery.