Before the oral hearing
Agenda
Before the oral hearing, we will circulate the agenda to all participants in the case and publish it on our website. This will include the order of appearance of the participants in general terms (examples include: applicant, prescribed bodies, observers, objectors to compulsory purchase order (CPO)). Please note that the agenda may be changed at the oral hearing by the Inspector and that all timings, where specified, will be provisional.
Availability of documents
A copy of any documents submitted to An Bord Pleanála and not previously circulated to the planning authority will be kept in a public file in our office for inspection and purchase. They will also be available for inspection and purchase at the offices of the relevant planning authority at least 7 days prior to the opening of the oral hearing. In appeals, some documents submitted to the planning authority such as the planning application are already publicly available. At the oral hearing, the public file will be available for inspection but copies cannot be purchased.
Copies of documents
If you wish to submit written documentation at the oral hearing, it is subject to the agreement of the inspector. Two copies of submissions must be provided to the inspector and enough copies for each of the other participants. One of the copies will be placed on the public file for viewing at the oral hearing. It is a matter for participants to make their own arrangements for the copying of documents. If a digital presentation is being made, hard copy versions of the presentation should also be submitted.
Digital Presentations and use of technology
If you intend to make a digital presentation at the oral hearing, you should ensure that you have sufficient paper copies of your presentation available for the other participants. You should contact An Bord Pleanála beforehand to check that computer or other technology facilities are available.
Assisting you at the oral hearing
If you or a member of your group has any access requirements, we ask that you contact us as soon as possible and before the request deadline stated in the letter you received or saw in a notice. If a request is made after the deadline, sometimes it may not be possible to facilitate your request in time for the start of the oral hearing. This may be due to the short time period available to organise the request or due to the nature of the request. However, we will try to facilitate your request as soon as possible. The accessibility area of our website can give you more information.
Please note that oral hearings can take place online using Microsoft Teams. To find out how to attend a meeting or oral hearing via Microsoft Teams, please see our guidance page. |