Appeals & decisions

An Coimisiún Pleanála(ACP)

Ireland's national planning body - the successor to An Bord Pleanála - deciding planning appeals, Strategic Infrastructure and the State's biggest consents.

An Coimisiún Pleanála (ACP) is Ireland's national planning commission, established by the Planning and Development Act 2024 as the successor to An Bord Pleanála (ABP). Same statutory role, restructured and renamed: it decides appeals against local-authority planning decisions (afresh, 'de novo'), consents Strategic Infrastructure Development (data centres, windfarms, grid, ports, water) directly, and rules on the largest and most contested schemes in the State. If you see 'ABP' on an older document and 'ACP' on a newer one, they are the same institution either side of the rename.

Why it matters

ACP is the gate the biggest projects pass through. A grant from the Commission - on appeal or as a Strategic Infrastructure consent - is one of the strongest 'this is happening' signals in Irish construction, and its caseload is where the mega-project pipeline becomes visible first.

Where it shows up in the data

PlanningLeads tracks An Coimisiún Pleanála's Strategic Infrastructure consents on the Infrastructure tracker, its EIA-accompanied cases on the EIA feed, and matches its appeal decisions to leads - powering the 'Appealed' filter and the 'Granted on appeal' signal.

Common questions

Is An Coimisiún Pleanála the same as An Bord Pleanála?

Yes - An Coimisiún Pleanála is the renamed, restructured successor to An Bord Pleanála under the Planning and Development Act 2024. Same national planning role; new name, governance and structures.

What does ACP stand for?

An Coimisiún Pleanála - literally 'the Planning Commission'. You'll see it shortened to ACP, the Commission, or (informally, from the old name) 'the Board'.

What does An Coimisiún Pleanála decide?

Appeals against local-authority planning decisions, direct consents for Strategic Infrastructure Development and other major schemes, and a range of statutory approvals - including cases accompanied by an Environmental Impact Assessment Report.

How long does an An Coimisiún Pleanála decision take?

The statutory objective period for a standard appeal is 18 weeks, though complex or strategic cases can run longer.

Built for planning consultants & architects: Benchmark every authority, track every appeal, never miss a decision date.

This is a plain-English summary, not legal advice. Planning rules carry conditions and exceptions - always verify a specific case against the official source or a planning professional before acting.

Turn this signal into live leads.

PlanningLeads tracks an coimisiún pleanála activity alongside every planning application and commencement across all 31 local authorities - scored and filtered to your trade.