Appealing a planning decision to An Coimisiún Pleanála
You can appeal a council's decision on a planning application to An Coimisiún Pleanála within 4 weeks of the date of the decision, if you are the applicant or you made a submission on the application to the council. The decision date is the day the council's chief executive's order is signed. The appeal must reach An Coimisiún Pleanála by 5.30pm on the last day, and the deadline is strict.
An Coimisiún Pleanála
An Coimisiún Pleanála is the national planning appeals body. It started on 18 June 2025, replacing An Bord Pleanála, and its structure is set out in the Planning and Development Act 2024. The right to appeal a council decision itself is in section 37 of the Planning and Development Act 2000.
Who can appeal
- The applicant (a first-party appeal). You can appeal a refusal, the conditions attached to a grant, or the way the council applied a development contribution scheme to the conditions.
- Anyone who made a submission or observation to the council on the application (a third-party appeal). You can appeal the decision or any of its conditions. You need the acknowledgement the council gave you for your submission.
- In limited cases, others: a body listed in the regulations that should have been notified of the application and was not; an environmental organisation where an environmental impact assessment report was required and not submitted; or an owner, occupier or person with an interest in land bordering the site, who must first apply for leave to appeal. If leave is granted, the appeal must be made within 2 weeks of being told.
What cannot be appealed
According to An Coimisiún Pleanála, some decisions cannot be appealed, including where the council decided the application was invalid, granted permission following an outline permission, decided on a development in a strategic development zone, or refused to deal with a second application for the same development while an appeal is pending. Conditions requiring contributions under a development contribution scheme cannot be appealed either, except to argue that the scheme was not applied properly.
How to lodge an appeal
You can use An Coimisiún Pleanála's Online Appeals Platform, which has to be completed in one session, or post or hand in a written appeal at its offices during office hours. An appeal sent by email, left in the letterbox or handed to security staff is invalid.
The appeal must include:
- your name and address (and your agent's, if you use one);
- enough details to identify the application, such as the council's name, the planning reference and a copy of the decision;
- your grounds and arguments, which must be about planning matters;
- the fee;
- for a third party, the council's acknowledgement of the submission.
You cannot add information afterwards unless An Coimisiún Pleanála asks for it.
Fees
| What you are doing | Fee |
|---|---|
| Appeal by the applicant (not commercial, no retention) | €220 |
| Appeal by the applicant, commercial development | €1,500 |
| Appeal by the applicant including retention (not commercial) | €660 |
| Third-party appeal | €220 |
| Application for leave to appeal | €110 |
| Observation on an appeal someone else has made | €50 |
| Request for an oral hearing | €50 |
These are the main lines of An Coimisiún Pleanála's fee list; other fees apply, for example where an environmental report is involved in a commercial case. Some organisations pay reduced fees. The oral hearing fee is not refunded, and An Coimisiún Pleanála decides whether a hearing is held.
What happens next
An inspector assesses the appeal, normally visits the site and writes a report with a recommendation; the decision is then made by the planning commissioners, never by one person alone. An Coimisiún Pleanála aims to decide within 18 weeks and writes to everyone involved if it cannot. It decides the application as if it had been made to it in the first place: it can grant, grant with different conditions, or refuse.
The decision is final. It can only be challenged in the High Court by judicial review, on a point of law; the court looks at whether the right procedure was followed, not at the planning merits. An invalid appeal is sent back with the fee, and can be corrected and sent again within the deadline. If you withdraw an appeal, the fee is not refunded. An Coimisiún Pleanála can dismiss an appeal it considers vexatious, without substance, or made only to delay the development or for gain.
Where to start
Read the council's decision and note its date, then use the appeals pages and the online platform at pleanala.ie, which also has a calendar to work out the final day. See also objecting at the council stage and decision times by council.