The Planning Authority has launched, through the publication of a legal notice, the new Development Notification Order (DNO) with a significantly downsized range and types of development which will be exempt from requiring a development planning application.

Unlike the notice it is replacing, the new notice does not include the reservation of public land for the placing of tables and chairs was entirely removed.

This essentially means that a permit for this will be required.

The new DNO, which is categorised into 19 classes of permitted development, has retained development types considered not to have an impact on the site context and neighbouring residences. 

It has eliminated certain types of development including water cisterns and reservoirs, installation of LPG storage tanks, extensions to single-dwelling building, basements, backyard development and swimming pools but has retained internal alterations, installation of photovoltaic panels and widening of existing roads. 

The authority said the approach adopted for this revision was to do away with the practice that for certain works the public was not part of the planning process and had no right to an appeal. 

Over the past years, the DNO legal notice was revised on several occasions to increase the classes and types of works considered as permitted development. Permitted development meant that certain works could be carried out through a simple notification process or without notification. While this process might have worked well for the applicant, it left the public and many residents without the right to know, let alone object or appeal against such development works.   

Last month, the authority introduced a new type of planning application which now sits along the familiar full development application and the DNO.

This application, known as the ‘summary procedures’ incorporates a number of development types removed from the old DNO. This new procedure ensures that a notice is affixed to a property where the intervention proposed is to be carried out and gives the public 15 days to submit a valid objection. A registered objector also has the right to make an appeal against a decision.

The authority said it will start to receive DNO requests in accordance with the new legal notice as of Monday.

The new DNO legal notice may be viewed here.