Thursday 19th February 2015, Dublin.A hotline for people to report planning offences is needed immediately in Dublin City, says Cllr Ciarán Cuffe, who has questioned why Dublin City Council places obstacles in the path of people who want to report offences to it.Currently the onus is on anyone who wishes to report a planning offence to divulge their personal details — including their full name and address. This, says Cllr Cuffe, will obviously deter people from reporting offences, as they may feel they are at risk of conflict with neighbours despite assurances from Dublin City Council that their data is secure.Cllr Cuffe said: “Nowadays people have more access to planning information than ever. But there is little point in having access to information if you are denied access to action. I intend to ensure that people from now on will be free to report planning offences so that everyone feels protected in their own homes and areas.”Noting the intense pressure now on housing, particularly in Dublin, Cllr Cuffe said it is essential that the costly mistakes of the past are not repeated. Light-touch regulation in planning — as in banking — is proven to leave a costly and disastrous mess and demonstrates the need for active and timely enforcement.Cllr Cuffe continued: “Given the sad history of corruption highlighted by very costly Planning Tribunals, particularly in Dublin City and the wider area, I am frustrated that the relatively inexpensive process of notification by the public to Dublin City Council contains such an obvious deterrent.“Questions have to be asked as to why Dublin City Council will not accept reports of suspected planning offences unless those notifying the Council of the suspected offence supply their names and addresses. Section 152 of the 2000 Planning Act does not require complaints to be made in writing — the Planning Authority can itself initiate an investigation.“The absence of anonymity for complainants has to be a strong deterrent in view of the fact that most people are likely to be aware of and interested in what is going on in the areas where they live and do business.”Highlighting the fact that Dublin City Council already has an anonymous hotline service to enable people to report litter offences and that a number of other institutions accept anonymous reporting, Cllr Cuffe announced that he intends to move a bye-law requiring Dublin City Council to accept anonymous reports of suspected planning offences. Cllr Cuffe said he hopes that his move will also be adopted nationwide, either by way of planning legislation nationally, or failing that, by councils and other municipal authorities around the country.Ensuring that people feel confident to report suspected offences, be it in the Gardaí, the banking industry or in the planning system, has been shown as one of the most cost-effective ways to deliver citizen protection and to avoid expense in costly tribunals, Oireachtas committee hearings and all of the other actions that are taken later on, when in any event little can be done to remedy the problem.Cuffe continued: “Good planning needs good citizenship. It’s about ensuring that family homes, extended to accommodate 2nd & 3rd generations at a time of a housing crisis, have access for fire brigades to avoid catastrophic loss of life. It’s about businesses flourishing with the support of their local communities. It’s about new houses, shops and offices being built for real people to meet real needs. It’s about re-using older buildings to provide homes for young families in the heart of the city.​”ENDS