Under legislation, the OPR can only examine complaints about local authorities that relate to the overall organisation of the authority and the systems and procedures it uses when carrying out its planning functions.

Complaints should concern:

• Regular / repeated breaches of an authority’s obligation to carry out its planning functions in accordance with legislation and / or national policy requirements.
• Significant failures in proper administrative procedures which result in serious diseconomies and inefficiencies in delivering planning services to the general public.
• Existence of systemic discrimination or a risk of corruption.

Complaints under the Disability Act 2005

The OPR is committed to delivering services that are accessible and inclusive for all, in line with our Customer Charter

The OPR has certain obligations under Part 3 of the Disability Act 2005 (the Act), namely sections 25, 26, 27 or 28. The focus of these sections is access to public buildings, services and appropriate communications.

How to make a complaint under the Act 

Any person who feels that the OPR has not complied with its obligations under these sections can submit a formal complaint under the Act. A complaint may be made by you or by a person advocating on your behalf, with your consent. This may be an advocate, family member, legal representative, guardian or another person acting on your behalf

Complaints should include the following information:

• your name and contact details;
• whether you are making the complaint yourself or on behalf of someone else;
• whether your complaint is about access to information, services or the OPR’s offices (citing the relevant grounds under the Act);
• why you consider the service / information / building to be inaccessible; and,
• where relevant, whether your complaint relates to the actions of a specific OPR staff member / team 

The OPR’s Access Officer is available to provide guidance with your complaint. Complaints can be submitted through accessofficer@opr.ie or by post to:

Office of the Planning Regulator, Fourth Floor, Park House, 191-193A North Circular Road, Dublin 7, D07 EWV4

To facilitate an inclusive process for disabled people, if necessary, you can also make a complaint by phone (01- 854 6700) or in person (by appointment).

How we process complaints under the Disability Act 

The Planning Regulator, as head of the OPR, has designated an Inquiry Officer to handle complaints under the Act. The role of the Inquiry Officer is to investigate a complaint and prepare a report on the investigation. 

We will acknowledge your complaint within five working days.

If the complaint is not considered valid or is deemed to be frivolous or vexatious, the Inquiry Officer will dismiss the complaint and will notify you of this decision.

The Inquiry Officer may request further information from you and other relevant parties. You and any other relevant parties will be asked to supply additional information within 10 days. If additional information is not received, the Inquiry Officer may proceed with the investigation. 

The Inquiry Officer will prepare a report on the investigation. The report will say:

(a) Whether there has been a failure by the OPR to comply with the Act.

(b) If there has been a failure, the recommended steps to be taken by the OPR to improve compliance with the Act.

The OPR aims to provide a response to you within 21 working days from the date of receipt of the complaint. It may not be possible to achieve this target in cases where additional information is required. In such cases, we will notify you within 21 working days that the process is ongoing and when a reply might be expected. 

This concludes the investigation of the complaint. However, where a complaint is upheld, further action may be required to strengthen compliance with the Act. Even where no failure has been identified, we will review the complaint to determine whether any improvement could make our services more accessible and inclusive for disabled customers.