Newsletter 6th Nov 2024

KIO Newsletter November 2024

General Election Special

The Planning & Development Bill (2023)

The clauses to protect and preserve existing Public Rights of Way enacted in 2010 have been removed from the Planning & Development Bill that was signed into law by the President on 17th October 2024. This is terrible news for people with an interest in improving access to the outdoors in Ireland.

An excuse given by Government Ministers is that the Planning and Development Act is not the appropriate Act in which Public Rights of Way should be defined, identified and managed. They did not however indicate where they should be located. Removing this obligation is retrograde and makes a bad situation even worse.

As mentioned in previous newsletters Keep Ireland Open has been meeting representatives of all political parties & independents to encourage them to include an objective to bring forward legislation to secure fair access to the countryside. To assist this work we have drafted a “Heads of Bill” setting out the main provisions of such a Bill. See below.

We are asking all of our members and supporters to raise the issue of inadequate access to the outdoors at every opportunity in the run-up to the General Election – particularly when a candidate’s canvassing team rings your bell. Please print a copy of the KIO “Heads of Bill” to assist you and have a spare copy to give to a candidate when the opportunity arises. Ctl+Click HERE to download a copy.