Planning & Development

Our planning team has considerable knowledge and experience of the planning application process, leading design teams through the process to local authorities or directly to An Bord Pleanála.

Our current project portfolio includes Strategic Housing Development (SHD) applications, Strategic Infrastructure Development (SID) applications, as well as a wide range of incremental commercial and residential schemes.

We ensure that the quality of the evidence presented to the consenting authority is clear, concise and bespoke to that project supported by Planning statements and evidence-based documentation (i.e. socioeconomics, tourism, demographics).

From student housing and PRSA to hotels and infrastructure, our work brings complex schemes and challenging propositions to successful results.

Our experienced planning team are Chartered Town Planners with full RTPI and IPI accreditation, providing services across the full spectrum of planning consultancy services, from planning feasibility analysis through to the management of complex applications and multi-disciplinary development teams. From high-level strategy to detailed questions of planning law and procedure, we provide a responsive and proactive service.

We have considerable experience engaging with An Bord Pleanála in written submissions and expert witness representation at Oral Hearings.  We prepare First Party Appeals, Third Party Appeals, observations and comprehensive appeal submission packages and statements.

We help clients understand the opportunities and risks associated with the appeal route and seeks to ensure their cases are clearly articulated and comprehensively conveyed to the Board.

Our planning experts ensure our clients have the greatest chance of success possible.

Planning viability fundamentally affects the development potential and value of sites impacting on crucial decisions regarding development strategy from environmental constraints through to end-user profiles.

We provide clients with evidence-based analysis of a range of parameters from planning history and precedent, policy objectives and controls through to site context socio-economic and market profiles. Our advice provides critical information on:

Our team will provide:

• Site constraints, planning risk & liabilities;
• Design Options analysis & consenting strategy;
• Planning & Development Feasibility Studies;
• Independent assessment of development proposals.

Our guidance notes provide clarity to clients on the key issues concerning development consents and compliance requirements including conditions, potential use restrictions, and financial liabilities.

The Environmental Assessment process is integral to the planning system in Ireland. The European Commission’s Directive 2014/52/EU was incorporated into Irish law by The European Union (Planning and Development) (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations (2018), which brought a new emphasis on the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIAR) and EIAR Screening.

We have a thorough understanding of EIAR Regulations, documentation requirements and extensive experience of EIS/EIAR management.

We will build-in a gateway assessment of environmental issues, ranging from a ‘tick-box’ no-risk assessment to detailed Screening reports for marginal or significant development proposals that may have environmental implications in terms of EIAR.

Our team has significant experience in EIAR/EIS including strategic infrastructure development and private sector development projects. Our key services include:

• Screening;
• Scoping;
• Project management;
• Alternatives;
• Population and human health;
• Material assets;
• Consultation;
• Non-technical summary;
• Socioeconomic reporting;
• GIS analysis and mapping.

We have prepared EIAR Screening for public and private sector clients including road schemes, greenways and mixed-used developments.  

We have experience in preparing Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) of local area plans (LAPs) and masterplans.

Changes to policy or zoning objectives in statutory planning documents such as Local Area Plans, Development Plans and Regional Strategic and Economic Strategies are important high-level decisions for policymakers.  Our comprehensive understanding of policy and evidence-based analysis entails that governance bodies have robust information which provides confidence in changes. We have considerable experience in influencing policy and a reputation for being market leaders in our understanding of planning and socio-economic issues affecting plan making.

We provide considerable value to organisations and private clients seeking to influence strategic planning policy at all levels.

We advise clients on practical implications of compliance with planning permissions and associated conditions, represents clients in respect of Planning Enforcement and Warning Letters. We adopt a two-strand approach to Warning and Enforcement issues:

• Open and clear engagement with planning authority;
• Strong and clear representation of client having regard to clear and detailed knowledge of relevant permissions, and exempt development provisions of the planning regulations.

We also prepare submissions to Planning Authorities, An Bord Pleanála and the courts where questions of procedure or planning law arise, particularly in the case of Section 5 Referrals and Declarations.

We offer strategic advice and coordination of consenting and Environmental Impact Assessment processes for Strategic Infrastructure projects, including transport (roads, rail, cycleways, etc.), water and waste, energy/renewables and other such projects falling within the definition of Strategic Infrastructure. In addition to our specialist planning advisory role in such projects, we also provide leading evidence-led due diligence and corridor assessment, from socio-economic profiling and Multi-Criteria Analysis through to population modelling and Cost Benefit and Impact Analysis.

Similarly, we have key expertise in coordinating Strategic Housing Development projects, providing a full range of planning consultancy services in the management of multi-disciplinary teams and securing implementable consents.