Chambers Ireland welcomes the establishment of the new Planning and Environmental Court

Chambers Ireland welcomes the establishment of a new division of the High Court dedicated to Planning and Environmental cases.

Chambers Ireland’s Chief Executive, Ian Talbot, said:

“Chambers Ireland have been calling for the establishment of a dedicated Environmental and Planning Court over the past number of years to expedite hearings related to key infrastructure projects. The announcement by Minister for Justice Helen McEntee, TD that the court is now up and running is a landmark occasion that represents an important step forward in reforming the planning system and facilitating the efficient and timely adjudication of cases.

Ireland’s planning system is integral in achieving the goals set out in the National Development Plan. Key infrastructure including housing, energy, transport, communications and climate action projects have been beleaguered by judicial review processes that are costly and time intensive. 

The new Court should allow for swifter progress and greater certainty in the judicial process and Chambers Ireland welcomes the work that has been undertaken by the Department of Justice to ensure the Court is now fully operational and calls on the Department to ensure that it is fully resourced to deal with the workload in the years ahead.”

ENDS

About Chambers Ireland:

Chambers Ireland is the voice of business throughout Ireland, with 39 member chambers across every major city, town and region of the island. Aligning our strategic priorities with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, our aim is to make places better to live, work and do business.