Judicial-review changes signed into law
President Connolly has signed into law a bill aimed at speeding up the planning process.
The Planning and Development (Amendment) Bill 2026 will speed up the implementation of new procedural rules for judicial reviews that were introduced in the Planning and Development Act 2024.
The 2026 act will apply the measures to any remaining acts or decisions made under the 2000 planning act.
Procedural breach
The changes include the removal of the requirement to apply for ‘leave’ to apply for judicial-review proceedings.
The act will also enable a case to be remitted back to the point at which a procedural breach may have occurred, as an alternative to the whole case having to be quashed, and remove the possibility of further legal appeal to the Court of Appeal.
“The changes in this bill will fast-track necessary reform to our planning system,” said Minister for Housing James Browne.