Planners waste architects’ time

olaoire_seanEighty percent of architects believe that planning decisions made by local authorities do not support good quality design, according to a survey commissioned by the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI). “The survey results show that we are not in a position to deliver quality in the built environment with current planning practices,” RIAI president Seán Ó Laoire said, adding that it was up to the Department of the Environment to improve things. He identified lack of consistency among local authorities as the main problem, saying this was “wasting the resources of architects who have lodged planning applications as well as that of the local authorities themselves”. In the survey of 392 architects, carried out by Behaviour and Attitudes, Sligo County Council was rated as the best planning service provider and Clare County Council as the poorest in terms of dealing with planning applications.

The Irish Times