Planning County Council Websites

soloeffort79

I will be submitting my planning application in the coming weeks. Is there anyway I can prevent the council from publishing my application/drawings, etc on their planning section website?

dos29

I'm FAIRLY sure the following is accurate.
They wont display the actual plans, just the fact that your applying for permission and the location. If someone wants to see the actual plans they have to buy a copy of the submission from the council for something like €40 I think.
They have to publish the fact that your applying though, so people have a chance to lodge objections.

soloeffort79

thanks, but at the moment if you go into county council websites all details for each application is posted online. Suppose the other question is this allowed?

dos29

Which Co Co website is doing this? I just checked the Cork one and its still just the basic details of the planning, no drawings or plans available?
PM me a link to what your talking about if you have a chance.

westisbest

AFAIK it varies from council to council and if it is your local council's policy to publish all documents then I don't think there is anything you can do about it. In Galway county for example everything is up there - plans, letter of need (which I personally find more invasive and don't see the need for public access to it) copies of any and all correspondence etc. I think Galway city council is same also but other than that all councils seem to have their own rules.

muffler

There is nothing put up on the web sites that isn't available for inspection by the public at the individual planning offices.

Cant really see what the problem is.

Mimojo

It varies council to council, but a lot of them are now fully online, and most put the planning application (without the page with your contact details), the red line location plans, letter of application for applicant/planner/architect etc, and the plans you have submitted in pdf format.

If you council have this facility then there is nothing you can do, they are just published online. People can go online to view them, or go into the council and request to view the file.

Can I ask why you dont want them published? The normal copyright rules apply i.e. people cant just take your drawings etc. And if you are worried about an objector, then if they have strong feelings about objecting they can simply go into the planning office, view the file, and get whatever copies of plans they want anyhow.

dos29

westisbest wrote: »

In Galway county for example everything is up there - plans, letter of need , copies of any and all correspondence etc.

Thats nuts! I've only ever seen the Cork database, so I thought it was like that across the board. I'm relieved now that my one was so limited.

soloeffort79-
Have you considered moving to Cork?

muffler

Donegal Co. Council display all documents except the applicant's/landowner/ agents address and contact details.

RKQ

A planning Application is a public application. Thats why you must put a public Notice in a local newspaper and a Site Notice on site. All members of the public are entitled to view a public file. The internet helps facilitate this.

All drawings submitted are protected by Copyright.

Why does the OP wish to prevent people viewing or inspecting their drawings?

No6

Mayo, Sligo and Galway are all the same everything available online, its a public file, it has to be at least available for inspection in paper format in all local authorities in the country.

I often find it quicker to go online to find a FI or check the conditions on on of my own file than to actually look for the paper file in my own office!!! Mayo were experimenting with a new system a few weeks ago and all the permissions dissappeared, I rang and complained!!:D

In regards to the op if you are so worried about it being in the public domain then perhaps you should review the reasons for this and then your application. If it is going to affect people they are entitled to make observations if they want too.

rayjdav

OP,
Extract from the Planning Act 2000 in relation to availability of documents for public inspection:

http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/2000/en/act/pub/0030/sec0038.html#partiii-sec38

Just depends on which council you lodge to in your case if your lucky enough not to have the ePlan/gPLAN system online as of yet..

Really dont see the problem here?

sydthebeat

laois and kildare publish everything for viewing on web

offaly dont publish anything

kilkenny just publishes final planning report

soloeffort79

I have no problem with drawings/plans/spec's going online. I just don't feel uncomfortable with my other personal details also being published. My address/contact number/email details etc will all be visiable. Whats to stop some spammers getting these details and spamming me the whole time?

On a side note, I find it funny that when you publish your site notice you have to let people know they can view the plans etc at the council office for a few quid yet if you go online there free

Leadership

Spam is a problem but also useful at the same time. Once planning is approved you will get lots of brochures for windows/insulation etc.

Some are quite good deals

rayjdav

soloeffort79 wrote: »

I have no problem with drawings/plans/spec's going online. I just don't feel uncomfortable with my other personal details also being published. My address/contact number/email details etc will all be visiable. Whats to stop some spammers getting these details and spamming me the whole time?

On a side note, I find it funny that when you publish your site notice you have to let people know they can view the plans etc at the council office for a few quid yet if you go online there free

Soloeffort,
You have the wrong end of the stick here. All submitted info (plans/docs etc) are available but, councils do NOT publish, online or for public view, the contact details of an application/applicant. This info is with-held. This to confirm is the last page of the application form propper.

Also, the public can view your application free of charge over the counter, there is no fee for looking at it. The fee of €20 is payable only if you decide decide to offically submit an observation/submission on the said application.

If you think the spam is bad as an applicant, try it from the agent side of things. Madness and costs a fortune to "rid" of it.;)

muffler

soloeffort79 wrote: »

I have no problem with drawings/plans/spec's going online. I just don't feel uncomfortable with my other personal details also being published. My address/contact number/email details etc will all be visiable. Whats to stop some spammers getting these details and spamming me the whole time?

No. Personal contactact details aren't put up on the web sites - well at least not in Donegal. All contact details are put on a single page which neither appears online or on the hard copy of the file.

soloeffort79 wrote: »

On a side note, I find it funny that when you publish your site notice you have to let people know they can view the plans etc at the council office for a few quid yet if you go online there free

Another no. It is free to view the documents on the file but it costs €20 to make a written submission.



Edit: Sorry, didnt notice that this had ran to a second page so my post more or less contains the same reply as rayjdav's


.

Mellor

muffler wrote: »

Edit: Sorry, didnt notice that this had ran to a second page so my post more or less contains the same reply as rayjdav's


.

:eek::eek::eek:
I'd suggest upping the posts per page to the maximum.
The default is terrible. The max is about 40. Defo worth it

Fozzie Bear

westisbest wrote: »

In Galway county for example everything is up there - plans, letter of need (which I personally find more invasive and don't see the need for public access to it) copies of any and all correspondence etc.

Thats not true. A hell of a lot of the info Galway CoCo put up on their planning website is "restricted viewing". Its there along with all other documents but when you click on it you cannot open it. These are usually documents relating to Housing needs applications specifically.

I have only once seen a Housing needs application letter being available to the public and I think that was just an error by the CoCo in making it public.

They do however put up all contact info for the applicant as this appears on the application paperwork.

sydthebeat

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

They do however put up all contact info for the applicant as this appears on the application paperwork.

that may have been applicable for older applications post 2002.... but they changed the application form about 3 years ago, IIRC, so that the very last page contained the contact information ie phone nos, emails, address etc. This page is not available for public viewing.

sas

soloeffort79 wrote: »

On a side note, I find it funny that when you publish your site notice you have to let people know they can view the plans etc at the council office for a few quid yet if you go online there free

AFAIK you don't get charged to view them at the planning office. You do get charged if you want a copy of them.

who what when

Wexford Co. Co. have the entire file on their website. (Except contact details obviously).

An excellent service in my opinion, particularly for someone like myself who works in this area. Now if only planning applications could be submitted by PDF!

muffler

Fozzie Bear wrote: »

They do however put up all contact info for the applicant as this appears on the application paperwork.

No, that is incorrect and would be in breach of the Data protection Act if they did.

I randomly checked 2 files on their website and there are no contact details listed in either of them

Fozzie Bear

sydthebeat wrote: »

that may have been applicable for older applications post 2002.... but they changed the application form about 3 years ago, IIRC, so that the very last page contained the contact information ie phone nos, emails, address etc. This page is not available for public viewing.

Cheers Syd, that is probably very true. I was checking several PP applications on their site previously and was able to see contact details. But they were for older PP applications, circa 5/6 years ago.

muffler wrote: »

No, that is incorrect and would be in breach of the Data protection Act if they did.

I randomly checked 2 files on their website and there are no contact details listed in either of them

Yup my error. Syd pointed out the change in policy for this. Only changed in the last 3 years or so. They were however putting up contact details such as phone, address and e-mail prior to this. I know because I was doing research on some houses and sites I was looking at buying and was able to contact the builder/owner directly in some cases when the estate agent started messing me about.

No harm though that they have stopped this practice. I would not like to have details like that floating about in the public domain.

tails_naf

South Tipperary Co Co do put up all the details, including the postal address (of the site to be).

All plans, all correspondence, meeting minutes, even including representations made from politicians, go up there, and anyone can access it, for free, and forever (there are applications going back to the 80's all digitized and uploaded).

Proper job too - planning should be open - it is after all a permanent fixture on the landscape!

You do get a few letters in the post from companies offering products, but its not that much. In fact you often get free-tickets to home exhibitions, which is always handy. It actually came in handy when applying, as we were able to see what other houses and features were granted and refused - always handy to know what is and is not allowed.

Mellor

tails_naf wrote: »

South Tipperary Co Co do put up all the details, including the postal address (of the site to be).

All plans, all correspondence, meeting minutes, even including representations made from politicians, go up there, and anyone can access it, for free, and forever (there are applications going back to the 80's all digitized and uploaded).

Have you not read the other posts?
This is the same to every other county that has a full online eplan site running. Not every county does yet, but most do.
SDCC has had one for 6 years+

There is no info on any council website that isn't available by in-person inspectioin.

No county include personal details of any applicant.

Every application includes the name of the applicant, and also the location of the site (none include the applicants address, phone numbers, email etc.

Can people please stop post crap like;
"XXX council put up everything, plans, maps, forms, letters, yadda yadda yadda"

Your council isn't special. Get over it

tails_naf

Every council is not the same - some (like cork) only have name and site location, no plans, or other communications, some (like tipp) have the lot.

So there is a difference.

I also never said anything about personal details beyond name and site address - but clearly the amount of other details about the APPLICATION do differ from council to council - and this difference seems to matter to people here - some like having a lot of detail on the e-planning, some prefer less.

Call me pedantic, but there's no need to bite my head off for offering more information to a topic.

Mellor

tails_naf wrote: »

Every council is not the same - some (like cork) only have name and site location, no plans, or other communications, some (like tipp) have the lot.

Read what I said please.

This is the same to every other county that has a full online eplan site running. Not every county does yet, but most do.
SDCC has had one for 6 years+

Cork is one of the counties that doesn't have eplan running yet.
Also, I clearly stated that every county offers the same service in person.

I also never said anything about personal details beyond name and site address - but clearly the amount of other details about the APPLICATION do differ from council to council - and this difference seems to matter to people here - some like having a lot of detail on the e-planning, some prefer less.

You said they post everything. They don't. They make no additional info available to every other county, either via a full eplan site, or over the counter

Call me pedantic, but there's no need to bite my head off for offering more information to a topic

Call me pedantic, but the above is not what pedantic means.

I didn't bite your head off, you were making the same point that was previously made, and dismissed repeatedly. I was making a point that is was already mentioned and that it is ridiculous to keep bringing it up for every county.

It also wasn't relevant to the OP, or to anybody. I guaranteed everybody, to whom local planning applications are relevant is already aware of the condition of their PA website.