Land Use Planning FAQs

 

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is not a planning authority. TII makes no decisions on planning applications. TII is a statutory consultee under planning legislation i.e. the planning authority will circulate certain planning applications to TII for observation. TII’s submissions or comments on planning applications, if any, represent our primary input to the development management planning process. TII submissions are made only to the planning authority concerned when they send planning applications to TII for comment.

Having regard to the statutory consultee role of TII, it is advised that all pre-planning enquiries and discussions should take place with your local planning authority which will be your City or County Council Planning Department.  The planning authority will liaise directly and / or request liaison with TII through the appropriate protocol and established practice if they deem necessary.

 

One of TII’s core functions is to deliver a modern, efficient and safe networks of national roads and light rail.

National Roads: Official policy for development at or near national roads is set out in in the DECLG Spatial Planning and National Roads Guidelines for Planning Authorities (2012) available at: https://www.gov.ie/en/collection/85b83-planning-guidelines-standards/

Dublin Tunnel: The national road network includes the Dublin Tunnel within the administrative boundary of Dublin City Council.  Policy  SMT31 of the Dublin City Development Plan 2022-2028 requires that development proposals over the tunnel area be accompanied by a Development Assessment.  The tunnel area is indicated on the Dublin City Development Plan 2022-2028 maps and the Assessment requirements are set out in Appendix 5, subsection 9.1 Dublin Tunnel Structural Safety of that Plan.  TII guidance on the preparation of this assessment is available at: https://www.dublincity.ie/sites/default/files/media/file-uploads/2018-07/Port_Tunnel_Guidance_Notes_for_Developers.pdf

Luas: For general guidance for any proposed development in close proximity to an existing Luas Line; any  prospective development should ensure there is no adverse impact on Luas operation and safety including its infrastructure. Observing the requirements of the following guidance will inform the type of assessments required to demonstrate no adverse impact from intended development:-

In addition, as part of TII’s responsibilities for managing and improving the country's national road and light rail networks, the Authority sets development guidance and standards for traffic and road assessments and construction that may be necessary by reason of proposed development location, scale or typology to be prepared to accompany applications for developments or works.  Technical guidance and Standards are contained in TII Publications, available at https://www.tiipublications.ie/

 

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is not a planning authority. TII makes no decisions on planning applications. TII is a statutory consultee under planning legislation i.e. the planning authority will send planning applications to TII in the vicinity of national roads and light rail for observations. TII’s submissions or comments on these planning applications, if any, represent our primary input to the development management planning process and take place only with the planning authority concerned.

In this way, any queries you have in regard to a planning application at any of its stages: pre-planning, during the planning application consideration process and post-decision should be directed to the relevant planning authority which will be your City or County Council Planning Department not to TII.

Please note that the planning application consideration process may include formal requests for further information.  Such requests are made by the local planning authority. Any requirement for engagement with TII for the purposes of the preparation of a response to a further information request will need to be arranged and managed by the planning authority only.

 

One of TII’s core functions is to deliver and maintain a modern, efficient and safe networks of national roads and light rail.

The approach adopted by TII in making observations on planning applications is to seek to uphold official policy and guidance in relation to national roads and light rail.

TII relies on the local planning authority to similarly uphold this official national policy and guidance.   In certain circumstances TII may determine that this has not occurred and there is a potential inappropriate impact on the safety and / or efficiency of the national road or light rail network. In such instances, TII may bring an appeal following a review and an evaluation of the planning authority’s decision.

Planning appeals and decisions are administered by An Coimisiún Pleanála.  You are referred to that body for information on making an appeal, available at www.pleanala.ie.

 

TII advises that planning authorities can apply conditions to a grant of planning permission.  These conditions must be complied with. The achievement of compliance with condition(s) of a planning permission is a function of the planning authority which will be your City or County Council Planning Department.

Some planning conditions may include reference to TII.  However, as TII is not the planning authority, TII cannot recommend the achievement of compliance.  

In this way, any planning compliance submission(s) must be made to the planning authority and not to TII.  The planning authority may circulate a compliance submission made for review by TII to inform their compliance determination.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is not a planning authority and does not issue planning permissions.  Planning permissions, including their conditions, are administered by the local planning authority which will be your City or County Council Planning Department (whether the decision was on foot of an appeal or not). 

A requirement may exist for you to pay a monetary contribution to a local planning authority in the form of a condition(s) of planning permission.   TII do not administer development contributions and any queries you have should be directed to your local planning authority.

For national roads, TII oversee the undertaking of national road construction and / or upgrades by local roads authorities i.e. City or County Council’s Roads Design Office (RDO). The iterations of assessment and design are communicated by local authorities to TII and the public at intervals. 

Please contact your local roads authority for the most up to date iteration of proposed roads schemes.

Future Luas, Metro and Bus Connects alignments are a matter for the National Transport Authority (NTA).  Therefore, any information on the progression of those schemes should be sought from the NTA, available at www.nta.ie.

Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is not a planning authority.  TII is a statutory consultee under planning legislation.  As such, the views of TII in relation to the national road network and light rail will be sought by planning authorities in the course of their undertaking of a variety of forward planning functions including making development and other statutory plans.

TII makes submissions to the preparation of statutory plans and schemes by planning authorities.  These submissions seek to uphold the safety and efficiency of the national road and light rail networks and reflect official policy and guidelines in relation to the national road network and Luas.