Ireland round-up: Supreme Court trashes Irish Government’s climate change plan; Planning regulator warns that urban sprawl is not yet under control

Supreme Court trashes Irish Government’s climate change plan

The Irish Republic’s Supreme Court has torpedoed the government’s ‘excessively vague and aspirational’ strategy to combat climate change.

The Planner

Ireland’s planning regulator warns that urban sprawl is not yet under control

Ireland’s planning system is failing to contain the sprawl of major urban areas, warns the Office of the Planning Regulator.

The Planner

South Dublin homes pledge

Quintain Ireland, the homebuilder owned by US private equity giant Lone Star, will seek planning permission for 1,000 new homes before year’s end on its land in Cherrywood in south Dublin, according to its joint managing partners. A full masterplan for the area is promised next month (September).

Irish Times

High-speed rail link move

The government is to launch a study into a possible €15 billion high-speed train line from Belfast to Dublin and on to Cork and Limerick, the minister for transport Eamon Ryan has confirmed.

Irish Times

Timber crisis looms?

The owners of the country’s major sawmills have begun warning trade union officials of imminent extensive job losses because of chronic licensing and planning hold-ups, which are bringing tree-felling to a standstill and threatening timber supplies for housebuilding.

Irish Independent

63 flats approved for Dublin

Housebuilder Lioncor Developments has received the green light from An Bord Pleanála to build 63 flats on the site formerly occupied by Gowan Motors on the Merrion Road in Dublin 4. 

Irish Times

Greener homes initiative

An Post is to launch a ‘one-stop shop’ for householders who are upgrading their homes to make them more energy efficient. The scheme involves a package that comprises cheap loans, having the work carried out for homeowners, and applying for a grant from the government.

Irish Independent

Heritage poser in Cherrywood SDZ

The future preservation of a pre-Anglo-Norman church and ancient stone crosses in south Dublin is at the centre of growing concern now that the Office of Public Works has expressed uncertainty about which body is responsible for addressing heritage concerns in the Cherrywood strategic development zone (SDZ) in south Dublin.

Irish Times

Funding for vacant properties

The government has announced the allocation of funding of €40 million for the return of approximately 2,500 vacant local authority properties to productive use.

Irish Government

Key wind farm deals

A total of 19 new wind farms around the country have provisionally secured contracts under the state's new renewable electricity support scheme, which means successful projects have a guaranteed price for the power they generate.

Irish Independent