Councillor wants provision for log houses in Mayo plan

PROVISION needs to be made for log houses and wooden structure homes in the new county development plan for Mayo.

A notice of motion on their standing was tabled at the monthly meeting of Mayo County Council by Councillor Richard Finn.

He asked that the council, given the housing crisis in Mayo and nationally, include in the plan provision for the inclusion of log houses and wooden structure houses where people can apply for such structures where they blend into individual sites and meet the building and planning regulations. Each application should be judged on its suitability, etc, he said.

In a written response he was told that the current advice given by the local authority's planning office in relation to log houses is that they will be considered in established woodland areas of the county, where they would blend into the existing landscape.

On wooden structure houses, they will be considered subject to external cladding and roof finish being similar to the existing design standards that apply throughout the county.

It is proposed to include this general advice in the development management guidelines appended to the draft county development plan, which will be approved by the members in the coming months.