Normal MEPA applications to be processed in 16 weeks

Every application will have to undergo a screening process which would cost the applicant €50. In the case of normal and simple applications the screening period during which MEPA will assess the application according to policies, will take four weeks.

This was announced in a press briefing to journalists by MEPA chairman Austin Walker and other MEPA officials.

After the screening process is completed, the applicant will be informed by a letter whether the proposed development conforms to policies and whether any changes should be made to plans to conform to these policies.

The applicant’s architect will be given three months to make any changes to plans. But in cases where no changes are required the process can start immediately as soon as the applicant pays the development permit fees.

In the case of simple applications, the application has to be processed in 12 weeks, meaning that all normal applications within development zones will be processed in between 16 weeks if the application is presented immediately after screening and 38 weeks if it is presented three months later.

More complicated applications outside development zones will be processed in 26 weeks or 52 weeks after the four week screening process. In case of major projects entailing complex processing the screening period will be extended to three months while the time to determine the application will be agreed upon by MEPA and the developer.

All application will have to be submitted online but elderly architects not familiar with the internet will be offered assistance by MEPA.

People living next to the development will be informed of the application by MEPA by post, and the period during which people can register as objectors will be extended from 15 to 20 days.

Developers will no longer be allowed to make drastic changes to their application while this is still being processed. They will neither be allowed to change the use of the development nor to increase the number of units by more than 10%.

Although the new law will stipulate daily fines of up to €50 a day for those served with an enforcement order against a planning infringement this fines will only apply enforcement orders served after the introduction of the new law. This means that none of the pending 5600 enforcements will be liable to these draconian fines.

“It is useless to dream… We have to start from somewhere. From now onwards the message will be clear to everyone that one should think before committing an illegality,” Austin Walker said.