Jan O'Sullivan TD, Minister for Housing and Planning, today launched two new initiatives to enhance co-ordination and oversight of the Irish planning system.

The Minister launched:

•Myplan.ie a new and free planning information system for the public on the details of all of the 400+ development plans and local area plans across the country; and

•The report of the Regional Authorities on the implementation of the 2010 Planning and Development (Amendment) Act in tackling previously excessive and unco-ordinated zoning.

Speaking at the launch, the Minister said: "Planning has a vital role to play in our economic recovery. The planning process is the focus of much discussion and debate at present for both good and bad reasons. Needless to say, the publication of the Mahon Tribunal’s findings have significantly heightened the importance of not only ensuring but demonstrating that Ireland's planning system is open, transparent and compliant with legal requirements."

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Myplan.ie is a new free online service where the 400+ statutory development plans can be viewed, compared and analysed. Launching the initiative, Minister O’Sullivan said that "for the first time in the history of this country, we have brought together around 1000 maps in 400 plans from 88 planning authorities in a free, simple, easy-to-use service".

She added that: "We need to make it straightforward for the public, for professionals, for everybody to see what the planning system is doing. Myplan will produce a much more open and transparent way of tracking the integration of plans across the country and is, I believe, a game changer in terms of how the public will view the operation of the forward planning system."

(CD/GK)