Request an oral hearing on a planning appeal

What is an oral hearing?

An oral hearing is a public meeting to allow relevant issues in a case to be discussed and examined. Anyone can attend, but only participants who are taking part in the case can be involved in the discussion. An Coimisiún Pleanála sometimes holds an oral hearing to help our inspector gather more information on a planning appeal case from participants. It is not formal or legal in design or practice.

For more information on orals hearings, please see our oral hearing guide.

When does An Coimisiún Pleanála hold an oral hearing?

The Commission normally decides to hold an oral hearing if it believes it would be helpful to understand a particularly complex case. Oral hearings can also be held where the Commission considers there to be significant national, regional or local issues involved. The Commission can decide to hold an oral hearing with or without someone requesting it.

Who can request a hearing?

Only the applicant, appellant or planning authority involved in the appeal can request an oral hearing.

How much time do I have to make an oral hearing request?

There are strict time limits on making an oral hearing request:

If you are making an appeal and also requesting an oral hearing

Your oral hearing request must be made within four weeks beginning on the date the planning authority made the decision.

If you have received a copy of an appeal or appeals and want to request an oral hearing

you can request an oral hearing within four weeks from the date we sent you the copy of the last appeal.

You can contact us if you want help to work out the last day for making your request. There are different rules about time limits between December 24 and January 1 (inclusive) which can affect the last date.

Can I make an oral hearing request after I have made my appeal?

Yes, you can make an oral hearing request after you have sent or delivered your appeal. To make a request your appeal must be valid, and you must meet all the requirements for a valid request. Your oral hearing request must also be received within four weeks beginning on the date the planning authority made the decision.

How do I request an oral hearing?

To request an oral hearing depends on your situation:

If you are an appellant making an appeal,

you can request an oral hearing by:

ticking the box that states "yes, I wish to request an oral hearing" on the oral hearing request on the Planning Appeal Form (part 9), or
writing to ask for one with your appeal.

If you are an appellant that has already submitted a valid appeal,

you can request an oral hearing by writing to us.

If you are replying to an appeal that we have sent you,

you can request an oral hearing by writing to us.

How much does an oral hearing request cost?

An oral hearing request costs €50. This is not refundable.

How can I pay for my appeal?

There are many ways you can pay a fee to An Coimisiún Pleanála

Payment Method	In person at our reception	In the post
Cash	✔ Accepted	We advise you not to send cash in the post.
Debit and Credit Cards*	✔ Accepted	✖ Not accepted
Cheques	✔ Accepted	✔ Accepted
Bankers Drafts	✔ Accepted	✔ Accepted
Postal Orders	✔ Accepted	✔ Accepted

Where do I send or deliver my oral hearing request?

You must:

post it to: An Coimisiún Pleanála, 64 Marlborough Street, Dublin 1, D01 V902, or
deliver it in person to a member of An Coimisiún Pleanála staff at our office in Marlborough Street (address above) during office hours - Monday to Friday from 9.15am to 5.30pm. Please note that the security staff in our office cannot accept appeals.

Remember, do not place your oral hearing request in the letterbox of our office and do not email it to us as your request will be invalid.

We are closed on weekends, public holidays and other publicised days such as Christmas Day and Good Friday.

What happens after I have made my request?

When you request an oral hearing, we send the case file to one of our inspectors. The inspector will review the case. They will then recommend to the Commission if an oral hearing should be held. The Commission will consider the case file, the request and the inspector's recommendation. The Commission will use its power to decide to grant or refuse an oral hearing. The Commission's decision on the oral hearing request is final. After this, we will write to you and all participants in the appeal with the decision.

The Commission has decided to hold an oral hearing.
What do I need to do?

We will write to you with the details of the oral hearing and invite you to attend. Please read this letter carefully. The letter will be sent to you at least 5 working days before the day the oral hearing starts. When the oral hearing has been arranged, we will also publish the details on our website. Further information about oral hearings is available in our oral hearing guide.