Office of the Planning Regulator Publishes Longford County Council Planning Review
The OPR published its review of Longford County Council’s planning functions today (14th September 2026). This is the eleventh local authority planning review completed by the Office, all of which are available through the OPR’s website.
The report considers performance across a range of planning-related functions and makes eight focused recommendations, designed to assist the Council to strengthen its planning department’s operational resilience, build capacity for service improvement and the ability to support wider strategic objectives. While the report acknowledges that the Council continues to deliver on its core planning functions, it also recognises the significant commitment that has been necessary from the planning team to achieve its statutory responsibilities in the face of significant resource constraints.
The OPR notes that, while Longford had the most significant county-level increase (14%) in population in the period before the last Census was conducted (2016-202), housing delivery has been an issue of concern over the past decade. The OPR’s analysis recognises the potential for Longford County Council to strengthen its approach to land activation, address vacancy and dereliction, and capitalise on the county’s strategic opportunities to deliver sustainable development, compact growth and regeneration in line with national policy objectives.
The Office welcomes Longford County Council’s commitment towards working with the OPR over the coming period to secure implementation of the review recommendations.