Do I need planning & flush toilet???

moth77

Hi there, we have bought an old cottage in south Kerry, It hasn't been lived in since the 1970's. Its tin roofed and needs plenty of work. The main work is to repair a bulging front wall and one gable needs the top 4 ft or so taking down and putting back up. Also I want to replace the roof with new tin sheeting. Externally I won't be changing it but some bits will have to come down and be put back up !!

We're in a mobile home on site. There is electric in the shed which adjoins the house, so we run power from there to the caravan.
We have water from a group scheme that was just a pipe at the roadside when we moved in, now I've plumbed that into caravan.
Theres no septic tank so we use a composting toilet.

So a few questions!
Do I need planning for any of my house renovations ?
Will I run into issues with the council over lack of a flush toilet?

Thanks for any advice

taka

moth77 wrote: »

Hi there, we have bought an old cottage in Kerry. It hasn't been lived in since the 1970's. Its tin roofed and needs planty of work. The main work is to repair a bulging front wall and one gable needs the top 4 ft or so taking down and putting back up. Also I want to replace the roof with new tin sheeting. Externally I won't be changing it but some bits will have to come down and be put back up !!

We're in a mobile home on site. There is electric in the shed which adjoins the house, so we run power from there to the caravan.
We have water from a group scheme that was just a pipe at the roadside when we moved in, now I've plumbed that into caravan.
Theres no septic tank so we use a composting toilet.

So a few questions!
Do I need planning for any of my house renovations ?
Will I run into issues with the council over lack of a flush toilet?

Thanks for any advice

You need planning if you want to change the structure of a house and also for a septic tank.

moth77

When you say ' structure' what exactly does that mean ? If I'm repairing what exists already does that require planning ? Even if it needs to be taken down and rebuilt as it was ?

taka

moth77 wrote: »

When you say ' structure' what exactly does that mean ? If I'm repairing what exists already does that require planning ? Even if it needs to be taken down and rebuilt as it was ?

No you dont need planning to build the same wall that was already there. You wont need planning even if you changed the whole interior layout. Its just for new extensions (unless it was built before 19?? because you can built so many sq ft extension if house was built before then).

moth77

thanks for your advice. As far as the waste system goes I'm still unsure whether to go down the percolation test/ septic tank route or not. I'm a bit wary of the council taking issue with a non septic tank option.
Not sure of costs of percolation tests and septic tank systems.

taka

moth77 wrote: »

thanks for your advice. As far as the wa ste system goes I'm still unsure whether to go down the percolation test/ septic tank route or not. I'm a bit wary of the council taking issue with a non septic tank option.
Not sure of costs of percolation tests and septic tank systems.

Id be interested to know this also so ill keep an eye on this thread. you can do your own percolation test yourself and time the run off then youll know wether its worth it to go for planning. I think the council are abit more relaxed when it comes to issues like what you have compared to new builds. I know of a house similar to yours and the ground is soaking yet they still gave planning for it. Just make sure you get a good engineer.

moth77

taka wrote: »

Id be interested to know this also so ill keep an eye on this thread. you can do your own percolation test yourself and time the run off then youll know wether its worth it to go for planning. I think the council are abit more relaxed when it comes to issues like what you have compared to new builds. I know of a house similar to yours and the ground is soaking yet they still gave planning for it. Just make sure you get a good engineer.

Thanks TAKA, do you know or anyone else know the hole sizes/runoff times I should be testing for percolation?

thanks

rayjdav

You actually need permission for the caravan on site, for stoage purposes only, if it is there 9+months.
The fact that you are using the caravan for habitation purpose, by default, you need planning now (actually before you moved in tbh).

Re the treamtent system, YES. The council will not be happy campers (gedditt:D) if you live on site and have no approved means of waste treatment. How do you dispose of it? Get an approved assessor out and get test done. You cant live in a house without proper waste treatment, it is 2013 not 1913...

The water scheme, have you tapped into it or approved connection?

Pre '63 is what Taka was referring to I think???

Poor Uncle Tom

There are other issues here, and ignorance of the law is no defense when it comes to prosecution.

How long is the mobile home on site?
Does it have planning permission?
Is the dry toilet acceptable as a means of treating waste by your local authority? Is that mentioned in the relevant development plan?

You would be best advised to get a professional to advise you, before you get into too much trouble.