One list of what the Department has issued this year, what each item does in a sentence, and a link to the source. The gov.ie circulars search does not find these reliably; this page exists so that you do not have to.
| Consultation | Closes | What it is | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amended Draft Planning Design Standards for Apartments NPS 2026 Open | 12 October 2026, 5.30pm | The Department's amended draft National Planning Statement on apartment standards, dated 4 September 2026, with a revised SEA Environmental Report. It follows a first consultation (9 June to 7 July 2026, 58 submissions) and will replace the 2025 apartment guidelines once approved under section 25 of the 2024 Act. Our review of what it says. | gov.ie |
| Prescribed Monuments Regulations 2026 (draft) | Closed 8 September 2026 | Draft regulations under the Historic and Archaeological Heritage and Miscellaneous Provisions Act 2023 setting out the classes of monument that receive automatic legal protection. Relevant to any site with a recorded monument. | gov.ie |
| OPR Strategy Statement 2026 to 2031 (draft) | Closed 6 May 2026 | The Office of the Planning Regulator's five-year strategy, reflecting its expanded functions under the 2024 Act. | opr.ie |
In date order. "PLR" is the planning legislation and reform series, "SPI" spatial planning and infrastructure, "CEPP" climate, environment and planning policy.
| Circular | Issued | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| SPI 01/2026 | 3 February 2026 | Short-term letting and the planning system. Sets out the current legislative and policy framework for regulating short-term letting of houses, apartments and other residential accommodation through planning control. | gov.ie |
| 2026/01 | 13 May 2026 | Commencement of Chapter 2 of Part 9 of the Planning and Development Act 2024 (costs in Aarhus Convention proceedings) from 8 May 2026 by S.I. 194 of 2026. Section 293 replaces section 50B of the 2000 Act for proceedings under the 2024 Act; the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment is to prescribe cost caps under section 294. Sections 50 and 50A of the 2000 Act continue to apply to judicial review of decisions made under the 2000 Act. | gov.ie |
| SPI 02/2026 | 21 May 2026 | Notifies the Planning and Development (Short Term Letting) (Amendment) Regulations, S.I. 130 of 2026, signed and in force 4 April 2026. Short-term letting control is no longer confined to Rent Pressure Zones. | gov.ie |
| CEPP 3/2026 | 14 July 2026 | European Union (Planning and Development) (Renewable Energy) Regulations 2026, S.I. 323 of 2026, signed and in operation 9 July 2026. Amends sections 37B and 37D of the 2000 Act so that pre-application consultation and EIA scoping can run at the same time for renewable energy and repowering development, to reduce delay under the RED III framework. | gov.ie |
| PLR 02/2026 | 17 July 2026 | The seven Exempted Development Regulations 2026, S.I. 338 to 344, in effect from 27 July 2026: extension limit 45 m², garden structure 30 m², subdivision of a house into one extra unit (Class 1A), dormers and rooflights (Classes 1B and 1C), auxiliary garden dwelling of 32 to 45 m² (Class 3A), bike and bin stores (Class 62), heat pumps and chimney removal. Checker and garden home guide updated. | gov.ie |
| PLR 03/2026 | 23 July 2026 | Time limits for extension of duration applications under section 42 of the 2000 Act. S.I. 330 of 2026, in operation 20 July 2026, amends article 41 of the 2001 Regulations so that an application may be made up to two years before a permission expires, not one. Sections 42 and 43 continue to apply to 2000 Act and SHD permissions for three years from 17 October 2024 under section 140(14) of the 2024 Act. | gov.ie |
| PLR 04/2026 | 19 August 2026 | Partial commencement of the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2026 (No. 27 of 2026) from 12 August 2026 by S.I. 414 of 2026. The remaining provisions are to be commenced in due course. See the new Act comparison for what the 2026 Act changes. | gov.ie |
PLR 01/2026 and CEPP 1 and 2/2026 are not published on gov.ie as at the date above. If you hold a copy, we would like to see it.
| Instrument | In force | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| S.I. 130 of 2026 | 4 April 2026 | Planning and Development (Short Term Letting) (Amendment) Regulations 2026. Extends short-term letting control beyond Rent Pressure Zones. | ISB |
| S.I. 194 of 2026 | 8 May 2026 | Planning and Development Act 2024 (Commencement) Order 2026. Brings Chapter 2 of Part 9 (costs) into operation, in part. | ISB |
| S.I. 323 of 2026 | 9 July 2026 | European Union (Planning and Development) (Renewable Energy) Regulations 2026. Concurrent pre-application consultation and EIA scoping for renewable energy and repowering. | ISB |
| S.I. 330 of 2026 | 20 July 2026 | Planning and Development (Extension of Duration) Regulations 2026. Section 42 applications may be made up to two years before expiry. | ISB |
| S.I. 338 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | Exempted Development Regulations 2026. Class 1 house extension 40 to 45 m²; Class 3 garden structure 25 to 30 m². | ISB |
| S.I. 339 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 2) Regulations. New Class 1A: subdivision of a house into one additional self-contained unit, each at least 32 m², with 14 days' notice to the planning authority, until 31 December 2030. | ISB |
| S.I. 340 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 3) Regulations. New Class 3A: detached auxiliary habitable dwelling of 32 to 45 m² to the rear of the house, linked to its services, with 14 days' notice, until 31 December 2030. | ISB |
| S.I. 341 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 4) Regulations. New Class 62: bicycle and bin storage structure within the curtilage of a house, up to 3.5 m² and 1.4 m high. | ISB |
| S.I. 342 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 5) Regulations. Class 2(d) substituted: ground and air source heat pumps on or within the curtilage of a house. | ISB |
| S.I. 343 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 6) Regulations. New Class 2A: removal of a chimney from a house, not where it is part of a shared stack. | ISB |
| S.I. 344 of 2026 | 27 July 2026 | (No. 7) Regulations. New Class 1B: side or rear dormer up to 30 m³; and rooflights on the principal dwelling. | ISB |
| S.I. 414 of 2026 | 12 August 2026 | Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2026 (Commencement) Order 2026. Partial commencement. | gov.ie PDF |
| Act No. 27 of 2026 | Signed 20 July 2026 | Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2026. Amends the 2024 Act before its main commencement, including the applications and appeals provisions compared on the new Act page. | gov.ie PDF |
From the Department's commencement schedule. Part 4 (development consents), the part that changes how applications and appeals work, is not yet in operation.
| Date | Order | Brought into operation |
|---|---|---|
| 18 October 2024 | On enactment | Part 25, Rent Pressure Zone amendments to the Residential Tenancies Acts. |
| 2 December 2024 | Commencement order | Part 1 preliminary sections; Part 26 (NAMA and LDA amendments). |
| 9 June 2025 | Commencement order | Part 22, Chapter 2: urban development zones, suitable sites (ss. 596 to 600). |
| 18 June 2025 | Commencement order | Part 17: An Coimisiún Pleanála replaces An Bord Pleanála; parts of Parts 2, 9, 11, 12, 19, 23 and 24. |
| 1 August 2025 | Commencement order | Part 9, Chapter 1 judicial review (ss. 278 to 290); s. 180, suspension of duration during judicial review. |
| 2 October 2025 | S.I. 452 of 2025 | Part 3 plan-making (NPF, national planning statements, RSESs), part of Part 6 (SEA and AA of plans), s. 356 regional enforcement authority, Part 16 events and funfairs in part. |
| 8 May 2026 | S.I. 194 of 2026 | Part 9, Chapter 2 costs provisions, in part. |
| Expected end September 2026 | Next order | The Department has said the next order will bring the majority of the remaining provisions into operation, including Part 4. We will update this row and the new Act page the day it is made. |
Source: Department commencement schedule.
| Publication | Date | What it covers | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Learning from Litigation, issue 13 | 8 September 2026 | Four High Court judgments and one Supreme Court appeal on section 160 injunctions and the limits of section 4(1)(h), wind farm consent against a development plan, an unidentified material contravention on children's play space, ministerial directions and where reasons live, and whose name goes in a chief executive's report. Our digest. | opr.ie |
| Longford County Council planning review | 14 September 2026 | The OPR's review of Longford's planning organisation, systems and procedures under its reviews programme. | opr.ie |
| Plan-making calculators | 3 June 2026 | OPR tools for housing growth and land requirement calculations in development plans. | opr.ie |
A circular rarely announces who it affects. If you hold a permission, a site or an objection that one of these touches, we will tell you what it means for you.