More than 60 community and environmental groups have signed a petition calling on the Minister for the Environment, Mr Dempsey, to drop new restrictions on public participation in his 1999 Planning Bill. In particular, they object to three of its provisions - charging fees for making submissions on planning applications, restricting the right of appeal to those who had already made such submissions and limiting judicial review to those with a "substantial interest".
The objectors, who include An Taisce, Friends of the Irish Environment, Earthwatch and VOICE, claim these provisions run counter to the Aarhus Agreement on Public Participation, recently signed by Ireland, and would be found unlawful by European Court of Justice.