157.—(1) Subject to section 149, summary proceedings for an offence under this Act may be brought and prosecuted by a planning authority whether or not the offence is committed in the authority’s functional area.

F669[(1A) Summary proceedings for an offence under this Part may be brought and prosecuted by the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority whether or not the offence is committed in the maritime area.]

(2) Notwithstanding section 10(4) of the Petty Sessions (Ireland) Act, 1851, and subject to subsection (3) of this section, summary proceedings may be commenced—

(a) at any time within 6 months from the date on which the offence was committed, or

(b) at any time within 6 months from the date on which evidence sufficient, in the opinion of the person by whom the proceedings are initiated, to justify proceedings comes to that person’s knowledge,

whichever is the later.

(3) For the purposes of this section, a certificate signed by or on behalf of the person initiating the proceedings as to the date or dates on which evidence described in subsection (2)(b) came to his or her knowledge shall be evidence of the date or dates and in any legal proceedings a document purporting to be a certificate under this section and to be so signed shall be deemed to be so signed and shall be admitted as evidence without proof of the signature of the person purporting to sign the certificate, unless the contrary is shown.

(4) (a) No warning letter or enforcement notice shall issue and no proceedings for an offence under this Part shall commence—

(i) in respect of a development where no permission has been granted, after seven years from the date of the commencement of the F670[development,]

(ii) in respect of a development for which permission has been granted under Part III F669[or section 293], after seven years beginning on the expiration, as respects the permission authorising the development, of the appropriate period within the meaning of section 40 or, as the case may be, of the period as extended under F670[section 42,]

F671[(iii) in respect of a development in respect of which a certificate has been issued by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority under section 25(7)(a)(ii) of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997 or by the Custom House Docks Development Authority under section 12(6)(b) of the Urban Renewal Act 1986, after seven years beginning on the date the certificate ceases to have effect in accordance with Part 4 of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (Dissolution) Act 2015.]

F672[(aa) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) a warning letter or enforcement notice may issue at any time or proceedings for an offence under this Part may commence at any time in respect of unauthorised quarry development or unauthorised peat extraction development in the following circumstances:

(i) where no permission for the development has been granted under Part III and the development commenced not more than 7 years prior to the date on which this paragraph comes into operation;

(ii) where permission for the development has been granted under Part III and, as respects the permission—

(I) the appropriate period (within the meaning of section 40), or

(II) the appropriate period as extended under section 42 or 42A,

expired not more than 7 years prior to the date on which this paragraph comes into operation.

(ab) Notwithstanding paragraph (a) or (aa) a warning letter or enforcement notice may issue at any time to require any unauthorised quarry development or unauthorised peat extraction development to cease and proceedings for an offence under section 154 may issue at any time in relation to an enforcement notice so issued.]

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), proceedings may be commenced at any time in respect of any condition concerning the use of land to which the permission is subject.

(c) It shall be presumed until the contrary is proved that proceedings were commenced within the appropriate period.

(5) Proceedings for other offences under this Act shall not be initiated later than 7 years from the date on which the offence concerned was alleged to have been committed.