Two Green Party ministers have raised concerns over draft planning legislation, which was approved by Cabinet yesterday.
As reported by The Irish Times, both Roderic O'Gorman and Catherine Martin are concerned about potential limitations around access to justice under the current plans.
The draft legislation proposes reforms on how judicial reviews may be brought before the courts, including the exclusion of resident associations from bringing challenges against planning decisions.
The Green ministers also want to see amendments made around public participation in decision-making, which would be curtailed under the current bill.
Party leader Eamon Ryan said he was aware people had concerns about the draft legislation, but was confident that environmental law would be protected.
"A lot of people have [concerns], and that's why process is going through parliamentary scrutiny, first of all, to listen, and to share, it's a complicated 600 pages.
"But I'm confident in what the attorney general has done, adhering to environmental law, recognising that you can't do work arounds on the basic protections we need on our environment, and people to have the right to access justice.
"But that doesn't mean that the current system is serving us well," he added.
Asked by The Irish Times if the party would seek to amend the draft bill, a spokesperson for Mr Ryan said on Tuesday that "the Green Party supports access to justice... we believe that the widest group of people should be able to appeal".
They did not specify if they object to the restrictions placed on resident associations.
Another Green TD, Steven Mathews, told The Irish Times that he had concerns over the legislation.
"We will defend the rights of individuals or environmental NGOs to participate at every level including recourse to judicial review where the law has not been adhered to," he said.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland on Monday, Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien said that didn't think the courts "in the main" are the right place for planning decisions to be made.
The full draft bill is expected to be published in the new year.
