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.

The Office of the Planning Regulator is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with  the European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020

This accessibility statement applies to www.opr.ie

Compliance Status 

This website is partially compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 level AA. 

The Office of the Planning Regulator is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of technology or ability. We are currently working with IA Labs and NCBI to ensure we meet accessibility standards. We are continually improving the user experience for everyone and adhering to the required accessibility standards. 

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1) defines requirements for designers and developers to improve accessibility for people with disabilities. 

Non-accessible Content

Keyboard/Screen reader navigation is not yet accessible on parts of the website. 

Images – we are currently working through images to add contextual alternative text  

Forms – we are currently working on accessibility validation and error handling focus.

Tables – we are working to create correctly labelled and accessible tables.

Link text – we are working to remove “click here”, “read more” and any other link labels that do not give context. We will use a unique link name when possible or an ARIA label. 

Document accessibility has not yet been implemented. 

Correctly structured content with good heading usage – we are creating logical heading structures on our pages.

Cross operating system compatibility – has not yet been implemented in every section. We are currently updating CSS for desktop and mobile. 

Charts and infographics – we are working through these to provide text alternatives. 

Mobile navigation – along with cross operating system compatibility, once CSS has been updated, we will audit for mobile navigation and ease of use for screen readers.

Preparation of this Accessibility Statement

The Statement was prepared by IA Labs where IA Labs performed a blend of manual and automated accessibility tests using multiple platforms Windows (JAWS, NVDA), Mac (VoiceOver), iOS (VoiceOver) and Android (TalkBack) and their native accessibility tools. A detailed issue log was created to measure against WCAG 2.1 standards. These issues were presented to the development team who are amending these issues and bringing the website in to WCAG 2.1 AA compliance. 

This statement was created by IA Labs in October 2022. 

The statement was last reviewed in October 2022. 

Feedback and Contact Information 

If you find any problems not listed on this page, contact info@opr.ie

Enforcement Procedure 

If you are not happy with our response or if you want to raise an accessibility issue that is not related to this website, you can make a complaint via the accessofficer@opr.ie 

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.