Mayo councillors unhappy with rural planning
RURAL planning has become a hot topic in the Westport-Belmullet Municipal District where councillors have asked for 'common sense' to prevail in reaching decisions.
Official figures show just two applications refused permission in September, but elected members say that doesn't reflect the true picture, with many applicants withdrawing when they know they're going to be rejected.
And the financial costs involved were highlighted by Councillor Paul McNamara who cited one young couple in Mulranny who have spent €25,300 on two applications to date, with still no planning received.
'Every regulation and designation' is stopping them from building on their home lands, on a local road, but a kilometre up the road the council were able to build 16 houses out onto the N59, he noted.
“If common sense doesn't start to prevail there will be no one-off housing in rural areas, which is what central government wants,” said Councillor McNamara.
And he questioned the number of applications that are withdrawn, saying he was involved with two in the last two weeks.
Councillor Chris Maxwell warned that if we don't have a young generation 'everything is gone', from schools to shops. It's time to wake up to reality - we need our young population.
Councillor Johnny O'Malley told of a planning application in Carrowholly that was refused by the council but granted by An Bord Pleanála, which told you that the council 'got it wrong'.
In another Westport area application, a young man wanted to build on family lands and under additional information was requested by the council to bring down his house, which he did.
And then he was refused.
He was told it's still in an elevated area, coming onto a main road, but this was the old N5, which is now downgraded, and the applicant is still coming out onto it as he lives with his parents.
He thinks there's no chance of getting permission, and that, said Councillor O'Malley, is 'totally wrong'.
Planners all differ so much, he added, and if they had Green Party leanings they should not be in the job.
In a lengthy debate, councillors were told Seamus Ó Mongáin, head of the municipal district, signs off on planning applications.
He explained how 37 decisions were made in the district in September, with 21 granted, 14 seeing further information requested, and two refused.
The numbers refused are very small, he said, explaining how the county development plan and local area plans, which are adopted by councillors, along with national policy, feed into all decisions made.
In a refusal, people have the right of appeal and Mr. Ó Mongáin also 'killed the myth' that a refusal means no future application will be successful. Many sites go on to receive planning post a refusal.
On the point about the county development plan, Councillor McNamara said under no circumstances did he vote for a plan that would refuse or have the potential to refuse planning in rural areas.
And using the plan to refuse permission was 'ridiculous'.
Councillor Gerry Coyle agreed he would never put a plan together that would do that to our own people, adding: “If that is what it is, tear it up.”
Mr. Ó Mongáin said he wasn't blaming them in any way. He was pointing out how the policies inform the decisions made.
Mayo County Council, he added, is 'for development'.
At the end of the debate it was decided to hold a workshop with planners.