Tipperary County Council has been chosen by the Office of the Planning Regulator to form part of a pilot programme in the OPR’s first review into local authority systems and procedures for performing planning functions.

Under the pilot programme, the State’s independent oversight body for planning has singled out Tipperary County Council as performing well, given its mixture of urban and rural contexts, recent re-organisation arising from the merger of the former North and South Tipperary County Councils and innovation in service delivery (such as the piloting of the national e-planning initiative).

Speaking about the report into the review of Tipperary County Council’s planning systems and procedures, Ireland’s Planning Regulator Niall Cussen said that Tipperary Council’s planning department operates in a complex and demanding environment.

“Despite the challenges and pressures under which it operates, the planning department is generally delivering all of its statutory planning functions effectively, which is demonstrated throughout this report.

“The department benefits from clear leadership, a structured corporate approach and the commitment and talent of individual staff. These factors have allowed the department to develop and implement good systems and procedures to guide its operational processes and to monitor and evaluate outputs,” he added.

In its first review report, the OPR recommends how systems for operational process could be improved or how current standards may be maintained. The purpose of the OPR review is to highlight good practice and areas for improvement and promote learning across the local authority sector with a view to enhancing the overall planning process.