The Green Party today called for the introduction of a new state body to approve County development plans before they become law.
The party claims the current process is too "politicised" and accused the Minister for Environment, Mr Roche, of sending out "mixed messages on out-of-town shopping centres, on land rezoning at traffic black-spots, and on social and affordable housing".
Environment spokesman, Mr Ciaran Cuffe, said rezoning motions were "often rushed and made in the dead of night" and not based on best practice internationally in environmental law.
Mr Cuffe referred to a recent decision by the former Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, to instruct councillors in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown to rezone additional green belt land for housing.
He said: "This kind of political interference in decision-making smacks of the bad old days in Dublin County Council."
Mr Cuffe said: "The Green Party are proposing that all city and county development plans would be submitted to this new body in draft form for approval."
He said: "This body would be staffed by people with a strong understanding of social, economic and planning issues."
Meanwhile, party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, called on Mr Roche, to publicly state his support for the introduction of carbon taxes.
Mr Sargent said if the Minister did so he would "impress upon his Cabinet colleagues the critical importance of Ireland doing so".
Mr Sargent said a carbon tax was necessary in order to reduce the problems of global warming and also to avoid having to pay billions in fines in years to come for non-compliance with Kyoto targets.