The Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources, which identifies a number of key actions to ensure a fit-for-purpose planning system to deliver on priorities in the years ahead, was published yesterday.

The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O'Brien TD and Minister of State for Local Government and Planning, Alan Dillon TD, issued the plan which will be critical to Ireland's growth.

Requirements on the planning system will grow with the enactment of the landmark Planning and Development Bill 2023 which provides for greater clarity, consistency and certainty for all users.

The Action Plan sets out a detailed roadmap to meet present and future needs and has been developed in partnership with the sector.

"The publication of this Action Plan is timely in light of our ongoing programme of reform – particularly the approval of the landmark Planning and Development Bill 2023 by the Houses of the Oireachtas last week," said Minister O’Brien.

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"We now have planning laws that match our strong ambitions for housing delivery and critical infrastructure over the coming decades. However, we also need the professional experts to turn our ambitions into reality.

"It is clear that a well-resourced planning system is critical to support the requirements on the system that have grown in recent years and the needs of the new legislation.

"I am committed to ensuring that we have a system that can deliver on our priorities in the years ahead and this plan is another vital piece in the planning jigsaw that will ensure that we can fully deliver on investment and decision-making in housing and critical infrastructure."

Meanwhile, Minister Dillon TD commented: "I have always said that working hand in glove with the new planning legislation will be the additional resources we need to implement it and to that end the extra funding I secured in Budget 2025 will help to make sure our planning system, including An Bord Pleanála and our local planning authorities, has the staff and resources to underpin this transformation.

"This Action Plan will make Ireland's planning system fighting fit for the future. Working with stakeholders and planning experts, we have identified the key actions necessary to enable a serious ramping up in the numbers employed in planning.

"Whether it is creating more avenues for professional training, enticing Irish professionals abroad to return home or making planning a more attractive career option, we will leave no stone unturned when seeking to build the planning workforce we need for the Ireland of tomorrow."

A full copy of the Ministerial Action Plan on Planning Resources can be accessed here.