Planning for a dream in Laois

Johnnypd

Hi Guys,

I have a few questions I hope y’all can help me with. Ok so here it goes I have bought 57 acres in Laois it’s agri land at the min. It was an impulse buy at an auction with the original intention to put it into typical forestry as a pension investment but I have had a change of heart and now would like to make it a home. This is what I would like to do and I take into account that it is a mammoth undertaking and could possible take upwards of 20 years to complete but it’s a dream I have had since I was a child when visited a place like it in the uk, as both my husband and myself are 35 respectfully who have externally high stress jobs in the logistics industry with days reaching 12-16 hours a day we would love a country retreat as it were to relax and leave the world behind. So this is the plan I would like to do. I’d like to plant 30 acres of the land with wild natural Irish forest and make a 2/3 acre lake and put a small Roman style villa with internal courtyard in the middle of it all and put the rest to open meadow and a wild life reserve . Have I got any hope or am I just living in a bygone age where dreams are still possible even in a housing crisis.

John

sydthebeat

With that size of a site, possibly, especially if your in an area considered "structurally weak" in the county development plan.

Even if you are not, if you can argue some kind of agriculture / forestry business you might meet requirements.

Its all dependent on where your land is

Johnnypd

sydthebeat wrote: »

With that size of a site, possibly, especially if your in an area considered "structurally weak" in the county development plan.

Even if you are not, if you can argue some kind of agriculture / forestry business you might meet requirements.

Its all dependent on where your land is

Thanks sydthebeat, it’s in the Borris-in-Ossory area, do you need planning permission for a lake and a forest, sorry I’m completely new to all this. We are first time buyers when it comes to land and building as I said it was an impulse buy and just want to make the most of it now. And something you may also be able to help me with.

You know the way you don’t need planning permission for a single story dwelling under a certain size, if you were to connect two of these said buildings with a canopy or a glass porch type thing would that be classed as one structure or two?

Johnnypd

Johnnypd wrote: »

Thanks sydthebeat, it’s in the Borris-in-Ossory area, do you need planning permission for a lake and a forest
You know the way you don’t need planning permission for a single story dwelling under a certain size, if you were to connect two of these said buildings with a canopy or a glass porch type thing would that be classed as one structure or two?

You will need planting permission rather than planning permission for the forest.
I am not aware of any exemptions to planning - any new house regardless of size will need permission.

Johnnypd

[Deleted User] wrote: »

You will need planting permission rather than planning permission for the forest.
I am not aware of any exemptions to planning - any new house regardless of size will need permission.

And is it hard to get planting permission

BryanF

Johnnypd wrote: »

You know the way you don’t need planning permission for a single story dwelling under a certain size

fiction

Johnnypd

BryanF wrote: »

fiction

? What’s fiction BryanF

emo72

How does one buy 57 acres of agri land on impulse?

Nekarsulm

Johnnypd wrote: »

? What’s fiction BryanF

I think that rule of thumb only applied to a small addition to an existing house. Adding a utility room or small kitchenette etc .

You should talk to a couple of local architects, see how liberal the process is in the locality.
At least with a decent block of land you aren't exactly adding another house to an existing ribbon development.

Didn't Mancan McGann (travel writer) do similar in westmeath?
I think his had a grass roof as well.

Edit... https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/culture/huff-puff-and-build-your-house-1.729217%3fmode=amp

BryanF

Nekarsulm wrote: »

I think that rule of thumb only applied to a small addition to an existing house. Adding a utility room or small kitchenette etc .

You should talk to a couple of local architects, see how liberal the process is in the locality.
At least with a decent block of land you aren't exactly adding another house to an existing ribbon development.

Didn't Mancan McGann (travel writer) do similar in westmeath?
I think his had a grass roof as well.

Edit... https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.irishtimes.com/culture/huff-puff-and-build-your-house-1.729217%3fmode=amp

in the article above, more fiction - planning is required for ANY size new dwelling house. There is no allowance for ‘small’ or sub 25m2 dwellings.

BryanF

emo72 wrote: »

How does one buy 57 acres of agri land on impulse?

depreciates less than buying a new car..

BryanF

Johnnypd wrote: »

? What’s fiction BryanF

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=107175556&postcount=6

BigCon

Is there an existing house on the land?

Nekarsulm

BryanF wrote: »

in the article above, more fiction - planning is required for ANY size new dwelling house. There is no allowance for ‘small’ or sub 25m2 dwellings.

Bryan, I never stated that ANY dwelling house could be built without planning.
As the article states, McGann was instructed to demolish the original thing he built, and he acquired planning for the house he now lives in.

I linked the article merely as an option for the OP if he wanted to contact someone who had built their own dream of a house on land they had bought.

Nekarsulm

emo72 wrote: »

How does one buy 57 acres of agri land on impulse?

You go to an auction planning to buy a 2 up, 2 down , on the South Circular road, only to get outbid.
Then the next lot is 50 acres in Laois, and it is cheaper than the SCR coop .......

BryanF

Nekarsulm wrote: »

Bryan, I never stated that ANY dwelling house could be built without planning.
As the article states, McGann was instructed to demolish the original thing he built, and he acquired planning for the house he now lives in.

I linked the article merely as an option for the OP if he wanted to contact someone who had built their own dream of a house on land they had bought.

thats not what I was referring to

BryanF wrote: »

in the article above, more fiction - planning is required for ANY size new dwelling house. There is no allowance for ‘small’ or sub 25m2 dwellings.

in another section he refers to a guy

teaching people to build small, well-insulated, timber-frame buildings on minimal budgets that are below the 25 sq m area necessitating planning permission

I’m sick of our print media not checking their facts, and giving false hope to people who want to build their own home.

I’m all for strawbale & ecological / sustainable methods of construction and I agree with the sentiment of the article that the construction industry has put alot of barriers in the way of self building, but in the context of this thread and forum, these guys are ignoring the planning law.

Johnnypd

emo72 wrote: »

How does one buy 57 acres of agri land on impulse?

I actually went to buy a warehouse as an investment but thought a forest would be a better investment with less hassle ie: tennents

Johnnypd

The timber cabin was just a temporary fix byranf while waiting to construct the main house, it’s cheap and better then a mobile, I was just thinking could it be done if it was only for a year or two, obviously I would need to get proper planning if I was planning on a 4-5k sf house

sydthebeat

Johnnypd wrote: »

The timber cabin was just a temporary fix byranf while waiting to construct the main house, it’s cheap and better then a mobile, I was just thinking could it be done if it was only for a year or two, obviously I would need to get proper planning if I was planning on a 4-5k sf house

You'd still need planning for the timber cabin

Jack0125

Johnnypd wrote: »

Thanks sydthebeat, it’s in the Borris-in-Ossory area, do you need planning permission for a lake and a forest, sorry I’m completely new to all this.

On the lake thing....be careful what you wish for. You can create a lake by digging a whole in the ground but water table might mean there would be water in it only for the winter and it is a dried out eye sore in the summer.....

Unless you have a natural waterway to fill it year round.....i would be fearful of your lake vision

Jack0125

Jack0125 wrote: »

Johnnypd wrote: »

Thanks sydthebeat, it’s in the Borris-in-Ossory area, do you need planning permission for a lake and a forest, sorry I’m completely new to all this.

On the lake thing....be careful what you wish for. You can create a lake by digging a whole in the ground but water table might mean there would be water in it only for the winter and it is a dried out eye sore in the summer.....

Unless you have a natural waterway to fill it year round.....i would be fearful of your lake vision

Mixed up quoute there. Only first paragraph os a quote

Reati

sydthebeat wrote: »

You'd still need planning for the timber cabin

Indeed you do.

Be ware some of my locals did this and built a temp timber cabin without planning and the planners have refused every little thing they have applied for ever since.