Galway Planning Permission

HGNew

Hello,

I bought a second house in Claregalway (in a poor state of repair) and I’m currently looking to see what my options are in relation to planning permission.

- Extend & Renovate
- Demolish & Replace (in a different location within the site)

I already own a house in the area (no longer suitable for personal needs) and want to see which option works better with this in mind. I will be selling my current house when the new house is liveable.

I had a look at the LAP and it seems that if you are seeking a replacement dwelling, you don’t have to satisfy the local needs clause (helpful when I already own a house at the moment).

My preference is to demolish & replace - how likely is this?

Any experiences with Galway County Council planning? Or any applications like this one?

Thanks

JoeA3

The Local Needs rules in County Galway would be relatively strict. To have hope for getting permission to build on a green field site you’d need:

- substantial and long established links to the area - i.e. did you spend your formative years there, can you back this up with letters from local schools, parish, etc.
- is your family residence (your parents) within the same area, and can you provide land registry docs to show this. This along with the previous point gives you a strong case for your ties to that area.
- technically you must be in “need” of a house, I.e. you don’t own one already. But I know that they are really only bothered about previous planning applications. If you’ve never had a prior planning application, you’re ok here.

Now in your case, it’s less straightforward as you’re not talking about an empty field. I’d imagine a renovation does not require any local needs proof, you’ve bought an existing house, but I’m not so sure about a demolish and full rebuild.

I’ve gone through all this process myself in the last 18 months and I’m in the same general area as yourself, so I might be able to help you with any other questions