The renaming of An Bord Pleanála to An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) has cost the State planning watchdog just under €77,000.
New figures provided by ACP show that the renaming has cost the State’s flagship planning agency €76,921 and the largest component is a €22,045 spend on the installation of external over entrance signage and two corner projection signs with the new name at the agency’s Marlborough Street headquarters in Dublin.
The €76,921 outlay also included a spend of €18,450 on architect consultancy which provided design, coordination and project management services for internal ground floor signs and external signage.
The spend also included €18,450 on a radio ad campaign; €5,380 on a new sign installation cancellation fee; €6,363 on newspaper notices and €3,637 on the change of name on the corporate seal and rubber stamps.
Sinn Féin housing spokesman Eoin Ó Broin described the spend as “completely unnecessary as there was no need to change the name of An Bord Pleanála”.
When first mooted in 2023, in the wake of scandals at the then An Bord Pleanála, trade union Fórsa expressed its opposition to plans to change the name as it would amount to a “collective punishment”.
In correspondence with then minister for housing Darragh O’Brien, assistant general secretary at Fórsa Ian McDonnell said that the union branch within An Bord Pleanála had passed a motion “expressing their opposition to this proposed name change”.
Mr McDonnell said that the proposed chance “reflects negatively on all who work in the organisation” and is akin to “collective punishment of all (past and present) in the organisation who have worked and continue to work diligently and conscientiously in accordance with public sector values of impartiality and integrity”.
Deputy Ó Broin said that as a member of the Oireachtas Housing Committee he tabled an amendment to the then Planning and Development Bill to have the name of An Bord Pleanála retained but this was rejected by the Government.
Asked about staff’s attitude to the name change, a spokesman for An Coimisiún Pleanála today said: “In terms of staff feeling on the name change, while there was some unhappiness about the changing of the name when it was first suggested in early 2023, now the name change has taken place, the staff and planning commissioners of the Commission have embraced and accepted the name change.
He stated that “good developments are built on solid foundations and An Coimisiún Pleanála is built on the most solid of foundations which is down to the part played by all former staff and board members who have served with An Bord Pleanála over the last 48 years”.
As part of the bid to reduce backlog in appeals, the number of senior planning inspectors at An Coimisiún Pleanála totals 60 at the end of June 2025 compared to 45 at the end of December 2023.
The appeals board now has two directors of planning while the number of planning inspectors has reduced from 39 at the end of last year to 35 – though five new appointees are due to start in July and August.
The most recent quarterly figures show that the number of cases on hand at the end of March this year was 1,369 which was down 878 or 39pc on the 2,247 cases on hand at the end of March 2024.
Reporting by Gordon Deegan
