Pre-Planning Meeting Local County Council

Droghead

Hi,

I went to a pre-planning meeting with site maps etc.. I had a brief meeting with the planner where I showed her maps etc and explained that I was looking to build on family site, we went through the details and I qualified under local needs and was told that I would probably get permission if I stuck to the guidelines for building in an area of high scenic beauty...

After my meeting with the planner I employed an architect and we have plans which are ready to submit, along with site levels and percolation test reports... The Architect emailed the Planning officer I spoke to in relation to the plans to get a feel as to what they thought of them before we have them fully drawn up... The planner had said they were indeed happy with house and the fact the house sat into the elevated site, and then out of nowhere the planning officer said "oh I am afraid the site isn't 400meters from the village boundaries and planning can't be granted"

There was no reference to this whatsoever when I met with the planner and they are now saying that although I had the meeting with them I never asked about the boundaries!!!

Any advice on what to do next as I have spent over €6,000 as the planning officer had told me all was good and to go ahead an start looking for planning...

hexosan

Submit anyway if it's rejected see for what reason and then lodge an appeal with the board

Droghead

hexosan wrote: »

Submit anyway if it's rejected see for what reason and then lodge an appeal with the board

Even thou I told the site is not 400meters from village boundaries a stipulation in the development plan

godtabh

Droghead wrote: »

Even thou I told the site is not 400meters from village boundaries a stipulation in the development plan

if its in the development plan you can hardly blame the planner.

hexosan

Even thou the other option is do nothing and waste the time & money you've already put into it.

galwaytt

hexosan wrote: »

Even thou the other option is do nothing and waste the time & money you've already put into it.

Exactly. Nothing to lose now, might as well.

Just goes to show the complete uselessness of pre-planning meetings. Btdt, have the T-Shirt.

hexosan

My pre panning meeting was the same cut to a year later and a nightmare planning process I finally was granted permission.

PS be prepared to deal with some of the most dim witted, computer say no people is society.

Droghead

Seriously its a one liner in the Development Plan and I mean 1 liner... And there is like 40 odd pages in the development plan... The planner didn't even realise there was this stipulation as she basically told us house perfect etc etc no problem and then rang back the Architect to explain...

Its very very annoying that because of the planners mistake I am down €6,000 and she is taking no responsibility for it saying "she didn't have a computer in front of her at the meeting" and that "I didn't ask about the boundaries"...

Was thinking of getting a planning consultant involved and see what situation?? Anyone ever employed one and is it a route you would suggest???

4Sticks

Take your cue from hexosan. Just be glad you are going through what may be a slow process now and not in 2004 when construction inflation was rampant.

Droghead

I am after finding a draft Variation No.4 on the Louth County Development 2009-2015 website in relation to SS37...

Anybody know how I could find out if these amendments came into affect???

sydthebeat

Droghead wrote: »

I am after finding a draft Variation No.4 on the Louth County Development 2009-2015 website in relation to SS37...

Anybody know how I could find out if these amendments came into affect???

http://www.louthcoco.ie/en/Publications/Development-Plans/Louth_County_Council/County_Louth's_New_Development_Plan_2009-2015.pdf

its actually there on page 79 under 4.6.10

the variation reduces the distance from 400 meters to 250 meters.... but its only proposed at the moment as far as i can tell.

does that actually suit your site?

in my own opinion, if this is your only site on family land, this requirement should be relaxed.

Droghead

The site is 257 Meters away from the boundaries so when I found that it was proposing 250meters... Wonder how I could find out for definite if still only been proposed or if finalised...

It is the only site on the land that I can build on, I went through all of this with planning officer...

sydthebeat

Droghead wrote: »

The site is 257 Meters away from the boundaries so when I found that it was proposing 250meters... Wonder how I could find out for definite if still only been proposed or if finalised...

It is the only site on the land that I can build on, I went through all of this with planning officer...

i dont work in louth, but as an outsider id say the fact its still referred to as a draft variation is enough to say its not yet policy.

Also, the development plan looks to be reassessed at the moment with a new CDP is due in 2015... so do everything you can to push your local Councillors to either remove that restriction or to keep it as short as possible.

Droghead

Found this on the development plan 2009-2015 in relation to the outcome of amendment No.4, basically the reduction of the 400meters to 250meters didn't happen but they wrote about infill which my site is... Not sure if because it infill makes any difference???

A relaxation of the current policies SS 36 and SS 37 ((Ribbon Development, CDP 2009-2015, pp 109) is considered inappropriate. Throughout the county is there is evidence of considerable ribbon development particularly on the edges of defined settlements. In some cases, the extent of ribbon development has led to the ‘de-facto’ coalescence of settlements. This pattern of development reflects both the high population density of County Louth (the most densely populated county in the State outside the Greater Dublin Area) and the small geographical extent of the County. Any dilution of this policy is likely to result in further such patterns of development and the suburbanisation of the County as a whole. It should be noted that Policy SS 38 (CDP 2009-2015, pp 109) does permit infill development within substantially built-up frontages, including ribbon development, where there is sufficient space.

sydthebeat

Droghead wrote: »

Found this on the development plan 2009-2015 in relation to the outcome of amendment No.4, basically the reduction of the 400meters to 250meters didn't happen but they wrote about infill which my site is... Not sure if because it infill makes any difference???

A relaxation of the current policies SS 36 and SS 37 ((Ribbon Development, CDP 2009-2015, pp 109) is considered inappropriate. Throughout the county is there is evidence of considerable ribbon development particularly on the edges of defined settlements. In some cases, the extent of ribbon development has led to the ‘de-facto’ coalescence of settlements. This pattern of development reflects both the high population density of County Louth (the most densely populated county in the State outside the Greater Dublin Area) and the small geographical extent of the County. Any dilution of this policy is likely to result in further such patterns of development and the suburbanisation of the County as a whole. It should be noted that Policy SS 38 (CDP 2009-2015, pp 109) does permit infill development within substantially built-up frontages, including ribbon development, where there is sufficient space.

what the council are doing is basically zoning a "green belt" area around settlements so that a differentiation is retained. Id be very interested to see if this applys to only zoned villages and towns, or all settlement areas.... and if its all areas... how they actually delineate the settlement boundaries.

some points:

1. if this is the only site you can build on, and you WANT to build on it.... an application would have had to been made regardless of SS37.

2. Its most likely the application will be refused if its direct contravention of a CDP policy... but you always have the facility to appeal to ABP. This "green belt"

3. can the site design be looked at to create a site which visually retains the "green belt" optics ie with a large meadow area to the front, with natural hedgerow to the road boundary AND with a secondary natural hedgerow between the dwelling and the meadow area?

Droghead

My site is naturally slopping with a bank to the front of it that is nearly 9ft in height... The site can't really be seen from the road and the architect designed a house which sits into the natural landscape and far up the field so the house isnt visible at all from the road...

They are hardly creating a green zone where i am proposing at there are 2 houses then my site the infill and another house there already...

I may as you suggest just apply and pray!!!!