Dick has described my post on the "dreaded bungalow blitz" as "poorly informed". He cites statistics that show that An Taisce "blocks" fewer than 10% of the planning applications it reviews.
However, Dick's statistics are not relevant to the topic I raised – one-off housing – as they do not relate solely to one-off housing applications.
In the Examiner's editorial I referenced, it indicates that 85% of one-off housing applications are granted by the local authorities, but "appeals are regularly lodged against these permissions, mainly by An Taisce". I don't know how many of the successful one-off housing applications are appealed, but the Examiner does tell us that "a whopping 76% of those appeals were upheld by An Bord Pleanála".
But, my problem is not with An Taisce, but with An Bord Pleanála and the regard they seem to have for An Taisce. I agree with Frank, who says about An Taisce, "my argument is not that they shouldn't exist, just that they shouldn't be taken seriously".
