Influence if (if any) of 3rd party objections

@david o brien wrote:

Hi all…
Has anybody got information / discertation etc.. on the influence (or otherwise) of 3rd party objections in planning decissions?? I’m doing a final year project…. Cheers

😮 :confused:

why in gods name would you give yourself such a difficult subject?

who can map ‘influence’??

firstly, 3rd parties make submissions. Its common but erronous to refer to these as objections. It can be a submission that objects, but it can also be a submission that promotes.

Any good planner will disgusie any evidence of ‘influence’ in their reports, as will any good bord pleanala officer. The whole process is supposed to be impartial to influence. Perhaps you are using the word’ influence’ incorrectly here. Should you revise the title as “how do 3rd party submissions impact on planning applications?”

it depends on how much time you have and how big a project it is but you definitely could map influence. You would have to do is pick one type of application such as a one off house or a domestic extension and then compile the stats on how many had a submission or observation on file and how many of those were granted or refused by the Planning Authority or by the bord and is this difference statistically significant. If it is then you could draw conclusions regarding the influence of the act of making a submission. You would have to draw the stats from hundreds of applications but the raw data is all there and freely available from the local authorities.
I also disagree that the decision is to be made without influence – how do you make any decision without being influenced by something. The planner must consider the submission when making the recommendation – its perfectly acceptable that if a valid planning issue is raised, that the planner might not otherwise have been aware of, that that influences the decision
However henno might be right about it being a big topic if its not for your thesis i’d steer clear

Hi David, I’m afraid I don’t have anything concrete to offer you, but it is an interesting topic to tackle. I agree with the others, it’s a biggie.

@damproof wrote:

it depends on how much time you have and how big a project it is but you definitely could map influence. You would have to do is pick one type of application such as a one off house or a domestic extension and then compile the stats on how many had a submission or observation on file and how many of those were granted or refused by the Planning Authority or by the bord and is this difference statistically significant. If it is then you could draw conclusions regarding the influence of the act of making a submission. You would have to draw the stats from hundreds of applications but the raw data is all there and freely available from the local authorities.

Often though, I think the influence of submissions isn’t in getting developments refused, it’s in getting them modified or toned down or compromised. If a third party says the building is too tall and overshadows neighbouring properties, for example, it could have influence (or impact, or input, if you prefer) in a planner’s decision to seek revised plans, or to grant with conditions limiting the height and bulk. So if you only map grants and refusals you’re not taking account of these effects. I think it might lend itself to an essay style dissertation, with case studies of a couple of different areas, rather than a large scale mapping project.

@damproof wrote:

I also disagree that the decision is to be made without influence – how do you make any decision without being influenced by something. The planner must consider the submission when making the recommendation – its perfectly acceptable that if a valid planning issue is raised, that the planner might not otherwise have been aware of, that that influences the decision

I think this is a question of terminology, and the meaning of the word ‘influence’. I agree with you, clearly the planner has to consider submissions, otherwise what would be the point of them?