Labour demands investigation into planning system corruption

• Government must make the practice of “go away” money illegal

Labour Leader and Housing Spokesperson Ivana Bacik TD has expressed serious concern at the reports about the offer by a developer of €100,000 to a Castleknock resident to drop withdraw judicial review proceedings being taken against permission for a co-living development. This incident, reported today, highlights the urgent need for Government to expedite new planning laws that would criminalise abuse of the planning process through the practice of offering the payment of so-called “go away” money for withdrawing appeals against housing developments.

Deputy Bacik said, "This appears to be yet another disgraceful attempt to undermine our planning process. It’s high time the Government took decisive action to tackle abuses of the planning process.

“We are hearing of more and more cases of abuse within the process, with reports today of the case in Castleknock as just another example. This practice not only undermines public trust in the planning system but also contributes significantly to the delay in providing much needed housing supply. 

"We in Labour have been calling out these practices, and I personally put forward an amendment to the Planning Bill to deal with this issue of abuse. We are pleased that the Government is now proposing to incorporate the Labour proposal into the Planning Bill, which will be debated in the Dáil next week. This is crucial for ensuring that our planning process is fair, transparent, and free from corrupt practices."