Planning issues - post them here MOD WARNING post #1

dfcelt · 22-06-2007 1:02pm

Cheers lads, will plough on with planning so & enclose consent letter from her father.

"If you transfer the site now and got refused planning then you are out quite a bit of money to own a piece of land that you cant use."

Site will not cost a cent, well, maybe a token amount

Obviously solicitors fees will have to be paid, but considering current land prices.....
Sites are off a lane, not a main road, only 3 other dwellings on lane about 2 miles long so would be surprised if we were refused. (Although having heard some stories, :rolleyes: )

We (as in both sisters) are thinking of building at the same time so as to save some money when finalising deals for site clearance, groundworks, timber frame company, blockwork etc. The only problem I foresee is this: Me & the wife currently own a 3 bed semi in town, we are running out of space with one child & have another due in August. As such our design is looking like min. 4 bed, 2 storey, quite large as regards sq. ft. The sister is currently single & with no debts/relationship wants to build now but is happy with a average sq. ft. 3-bed bungalow/dormer. If we apply together within a short period then I have a feeling that planners might have an issue with the difference in house types given that they will be quite close to one another.

What do ye reckon? Jump in ahead of the sister with a big monstrosity

or try to keep both houses somewhat similar (which won't be easy).

muffler · 22-06-2007 3:47pm

Theres always a better chance of down-sizing from whats there or whats approved to be there as opposed to looking for something much more beefier than the existing or proposed development. In your case you are probably better going in first with your sister in law to follow maybe 3 months later.

I know some people dont have much confidence in the planners and the planning process (and I cant blame them at times) but if I were to give you good advice I would suggest you make a pre planning inquiry first. This costs nothing to arrange. You write a letter in outlining what you propose to build and where and attach a map showing the location of the site (approx) and perhaps a sketch of the front of the house or even a photo-copy of something out of a book or magazine and a rough layout of the site. The planning office are legally obliged to give you an appointment with the local planner to discuss your proposals and this is supposed to happen within 1 month of you requesting the meeting. It may do no harm to get your local councillor to take the letter and submit it on your behalf - they can normally fast forward these issues.

if and when you do get an appointment you can also make mention of your sister in laws plans.

edengarden · 24-06-2007 2:36pm

Hi all.

Due to hear on the 2nd of July about our planning.

This is our third attempt since 2005. Keep getting pulled up on local need, even though it shouldn't have been an issue (we lived within reasonable distance from the sites we tried on).

First site was boyfriends uncle's land in a neighbouring village, where both of us have a parent from and have family living there. Boyfriend was mad to build where his grandfather had originated from but we got a refusal.

Second site was three miles away from boyfriend's home house and again refusal. One of the reasons, boyfriend is a tradesman and has to travel to different jobs and he got pulled up on commuting!!

We are both country people and had to buy in a housing estate in a neighbouring town and we are like fish out of water - feel very resentful that we forced to live somewhere that we don't want to be and we simply can't afford a house in our area.

So fingers crossed this time!

owen247 · 26-06-2007 3:44pm

Hi,

I live in a terraced 2 storey townhouse which has a return at the back, so the back is narrower than the front of the house. The house is attached to the two other properties at the front only, the wide part of the house. So, in effect at the back/side I have an open space which has 2 walls from my house and then one which is the neighbours outside wall.

Can I in effect fill in this open space with a one (or 2 if possible) story extension so as to widen the back of my house to the same as the front. Or would I have to still leave 1m or something, between the neighbours wall and a new extension?
I assume in this case planning will definitely be needed, but even with that is there other issues?

Thanks in advance

muffler · 26-06-2007 5:00pm

owen247 wrote:

Hi,

I live in a terraced 2 storey townhouse which has a return at the back, so the back is narrower than the front of the house. The house is attached to the two other properties at the front only, the wide part of the house. So, in effect at the back/side I have an open space which has 2 walls from my house and then one which is the neighbours outside wall.

Can I in effect fill in this open space with a one (or 2 if possible) story extension so as to widen the back of my house to the same as the front. Or would I have to still leave 1m or something, between the neighbours wall and a new extension?
I assume in this case planning will definitely be needed, but even with that is there other issues?

Thanks in advance

You may or may not need planning permission. Have a look at this document and it will put you on the right road.

From a practical point of view you need to watch out for underground service pipes, not block light off the neighbour etc

muffler · 26-06-2007 5:05pm

edengarden wrote:

Hi all.

Due to hear on the 2nd of July about our planning.

This is our third attempt since 2005. Keep getting pulled up on local need, even though it shouldn't have been an issue (we lived within reasonable distance from the sites we tried on).

First site was boyfriends uncle's land in a neighbouring village, where both of us have a parent from and have family living there. Boyfriend was mad to build where his grandfather had originated from but we got a refusal.

Second site was three miles away from boyfriend's home house and again refusal. One of the reasons, boyfriend is a tradesman and has to travel to different jobs and he got pulled up on commuting!!

We are both country people and had to buy in a housing estate in a neighbouring town and we are like fish out of water - feel very resentful that we forced to live somewhere that we don't want to be and we simply can't afford a house in our area.

So fingers crossed this time!

One thing a lot of people are not aware of is the fact that it is the county councillors who have the final say on these matters when they are proposed to be included in a development plan.

What happens is that the planners will come up with a set of proposals and they will sit down and debate these with the councilors and they usually come to some form of compromise prior to the plan being adopted. But its the adoption of the plan that is critical as the councilors actually take a vote on it. They can either accept, reject or seek amendments to the plan.

So if you are having problems with a "local needs" issue go to the person who put their hand in the air and voted for it at a council meeting. The more people who approach and provide feedback to the councillors the more likely it will be that they will be more careful of what they adopt in the future.

You can also ask your councillor to submit a section 140 motion which, if passed, effectively orders the county manager to grant planning permission.

edengarden · 26-06-2007 5:17pm

Yeah read up on that section 140.
The last two times we had a councillor "working" on our behalf - but didn't make a bit of difference. They kept telling us "ah sur there should be no problems".

This time we used two councillors each from a different party and a deputy of the Labour Party has made an offical representation on our behalf- so it will be interesting to see if it makes any difference.

Like so many people in the country we are feeling very annoyed we see friends of ours with the same problem, if any fo them live inside the 30mile zone of our rural village they are being told that they can't build in rural areas and it might only be a mile or two from where they are living!

And there are the few cases where people from miles away are getting planning in our area or the local developer who keeps getting planning for one off houses, just doesn't make sense - there just is no consistancy!

muffler · 26-06-2007 5:39pm

edengarden wrote:

there just is no consistancy!

I have been preaching that for more years than I care to remember.

The biggest problem facing planning in rural Ireland is not the number of houses dotted along the countryside but the political interference in the planning process and the lengths that certain planners will go to in order to facilitate a politician. Good luck to the people who get planning in this regard but its not acceptable that others who for a variety of reasons would prefer not to go to a politician end up getting refused.

Anyhow, there is a wee bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Apparently about 70 - 80% of the county development plans throughout the country are in breach of EC law in relation to denying a local person the right to build a house in their locality. This has been widely known for some time but its only in the last few weeks that the issue has been brought to a head. Im open to correction on this but I believe that the government has recently been officially notified of this by the European Parliament and steps wil now have to be taken to regularise the matter.

I dont know what other councils are proposing but here in Donegal the development plan is up for review in July and changes will be made to it as Donegal is listed as one of the county councils that operate this prohibitive policy.

You might be in luck this time round.

plasto · 27-06-2007 10:40pm

What is the maximum sized extension to build without planning authority?

Does it matter if the building is in a rural or urban area?

Thanks.

smashey · 27-06-2007 11:29pm

Look here.

muffler · 28-06-2007 12:45am

plasto wrote:

What is the maximum sized extension to build without planning authority?

Does it matter if the building is in a rural or urban area?

Thanks.

The regulations apply equally to both urban & rural houses. The urban houses might be a bit more complex as you have to retain 25 sq. metres of open space and like most urban developments the house will most likely be a semi or terraced which reduces the exempted size you can build on the first floor and restricts the distances between walls/windows and neighbouring boundaries.

Eurorunner · 30-06-2007 8:53am

I have just ordered the OS planning pack - slowly moving towards putting in an application for a granny flat. I have been looking through previous planning decisions for similar and have a few questions that people here might be able to help me with prior to putting in the application or approaching them at a pre planning meeting.

i). I intend submitting a covering letter with the application demonstrating the need (required by family member due to illness). Will they need medical confirmation of this or is my letter likely to be sufficient?

ii). It will be approx. 36m2 floor area - consisting of 1 bedroom/wc&shower/lounge & kitchenette. I will need to connect up to the waste pipe that leads to the mains. Are they likely to be satisified with this (the house is a small 4 bed semi built in '05) and will they request that a contribution be made because of this??

iii). The finish will be 100mm siberian spruce plank whereas the house is rendered finish. Whats the likelihood of them objecting to this?

iv). I'd like to build right up against the boundary (which adjoins open green space) - can I do this? Other than marking out the position of the structure on the OS map, do I need to confirm in writing that I wish to build right up against the boundary?

muffler · 30-06-2007 10:57am

Eurorunner wrote:

I have just ordered the OS planning pack - slowly moving towards putting in an application for a granny flat. I have been looking through previous planning decisions for similar and have a few questions that people here might be able to help me with prior to putting in the application or approaching them at a pre planning meeting.

i). I intend submitting a covering letter with the application demonstrating the need (required by family member due to illness). Will they need medical confirmation of this or is my letter likely to be sufficient?

ii). It will be approx. 36m2 floor area - consisting of 1 bedroom/wc&shower/lounge & kitchenette. I will need to connect up to the waste pipe that leads to the mains. Are they likely to be satisified with this (the house is a small 4 bed semi built in '05) and will they request that a contribution be made because of this??

iii). The finish will be 100mm siberian spruce plank whereas the house is rendered finish. Whats the likelihood of them objecting to this?

iv). I'd like to build right up against the boundary (which adjoins open green space) - can I do this? Other than marking out the position of the structure on the OS map, do I need to confirm in writing that I wish to build right up against the boundary?

1. You should submit a letter from the GP or nurse or OT outlining the medical condition and the specific need the person.

2. This varies in relation to connection to services. You may get away with a shared connection but it wont be something that you cant overcome. You will most likely have to pay development contributions as it is a self contained unit. If it was shown as an extension of the original house then the devp. fees are not applicable.

3. You will most likely be asked to have the finishes integrated with the existing house finishes.

4. You will need to keep 1 metre away from the boundary as you will need a bit of elbow room for maintenance. Different planning authorities have different regs in relation to this and the amount of open space/gardens etc to the rear of houses.

Will you be able to get a disabled persons grant in respect of the works?

plasto · 01-07-2007 2:51am

Thank you for your replies.

They were very helpful......do people from the planning office take bribes or court settlements??:D

muffler · 01-07-2007 12:22pm

plasto wrote:

do people from the planning office take bribes or court settlements??:D

I have never seen bribes down on the job description or an a C.V. so the answer would be no.

I dont understand the comment about court settlements - care to elaborate?

baguio · 03-07-2007 9:53am

A point related to whats discussed above re. development contribution. If a person had converted a garage to a study - then later applied for 'change of use' to a self contained granny flat, would the local council be less likely to seek a development contribution (assuming that the study included a toilet linked into the existing sewerage?

muffler · 03-07-2007 10:59am

I think they would be more likely to hit you for development contributions. Not sure what the position is in relation to granny flats as any domestic extensions are exempt from the charges.

Can you not just convert it and leave it at that?

Or alternatively you could argue that there is still the same number of people resident in the overall building so there's no extra loading on the services.

edengarden · 04-07-2007 1:37pm

We got our planning after two long years of trying.

cue · 04-07-2007 10:21pm

Just got refused on planning application due to local needs in a rural area. Two reasons - Not enough supporting documentation. The architect felt that we did not need to submit supporting documentation unless we were asked for it so he just submitted the local needs form on its own. The other reason is they reckon I may own a house, which I do not, although I am resident a mile away from the site. Fairly depressed as I was following advise from those supposedly in the know. Any suggestions?

muffler · 04-07-2007 11:26pm

cue wrote:

Just got refused on planning application due to local needs in a rural area. Two reasons - Not enough supporting documentation. The architect felt that we did not need to submit supporting documentation unless we were asked for it so he just submitted the local needs form on its own. The other reason is they reckon I may own a house, which I do not, although I am resident a mile away from the site. Fairly depressed as I was following advise from those supposedly in the know. Any suggestions?

Maybe you need a new architect. How could he be so silly as to submit a form without backing up the content of it. Would you apply for a passport without a photo?

Best advice I can give you is to take a more pro active role with the application (or the next application). You should look for a pre-planning meeting with the planner and discuss the matter to see what you need to submit with your application. They are legally obliged to give you an appointment but in saying that its low down on their priority list. Write a letter requesting the meeting and take it to your local councillor and let him take it from there. Perhaps he could attend with you also.

muffler · 04-07-2007 11:34pm

edengarden wrote:

We got our planning after two long years of trying.

Good news indeed. I suppose when you see that word "Grant" it compensates a wee bit for the time delay.

carefree · 11-07-2007 6:12pm

we have gated access from the main road between us and a neighbour my wife's family may try and build behind us in the future so we need to leave an access road -currently 14 ft. anyone know what the planners require and whether it needs to be splayed?

col16 · 12-07-2007 10:02pm

Hi !! We are a bit green in the planning regulations area so bear with me. We are intending to apply for planning for a 1600sqft bungalow (ground floor) and we would like to fit a stairs, velux windows and use the converted attic space (1000sqft approx).
My question is do i need to submit details about converting the attic in the original plans to the council as i have heard that you do not need Planning permission for Velux windows on rear side of roof.Also i have read that there are different regulations regarding the use of attic space for habitual purposes.(Fire Regs) so just wondering what is the best road to go down and what exactly is needed . (North Cork area)
Any help greatly appreciated.

Aeneas · 14-07-2007 2:56pm

A developer is planning to build apartments next door to my dormer bungalow in village of about 1000 houses. The building will be a three-storey structure. There will be a balcony directly opposite the main window of my bedroom at a distance of 22m from the gable. I know that 22m is often regarded as a suitable distance to avoid overlooking when windows are directly oppposite. However in this case the balcony is three metres higher than the window and I fear that it will afford a vantage point into the bedroom for someone on the balcony. Are you aware of any rules or precedents in planning law/practice that might cover this case.

muffler · 15-07-2007 4:30pm

carefree wrote:

we have gated access from the main road between us and a neighbour my wife's family may try and build behind us in the future so we need to leave an access road -currently 14 ft. anyone know what the planners require and whether it needs to be splayed?

If they deem the need for a full service road then you are looking at 5.00m wide. Depending on the extent of existing and potential future development the least that will be require will probably be pull-in bays at 70 - 90 metre intervals.

You could well be asked to splay the entrance but more importantly ensure you can achieve and maintain adequate vision lines.

Some of these issues will vary from County to County and from engineer to engineer. As with a lot of these queries a quick call to the planning office and/or the local roads engineer should get you sorted as indeed will your architect.

muffler · 15-07-2007 4:33pm

Aeneas wrote:

A developer is planning to build apartments next door to my dormer bungalow in village of about 1000 houses. The building will be a three-storey structure. There will be a balcony directly opposite the main window of my bedroom at a distance of 22m from the gable. I know that 22m is often regarded as a suitable distance to avoid overlooking when windows are directly oppposite. However in this case the balcony is three metres higher than the window and I fear that it will afford a vantage point into the bedroom for someone on the balcony. Are you aware of any rules or precedents in planning law/practice that might cover this case.

22 metres would be adequate separating distance to normally avoid overlooking. However you could argue about the height of the balcony.

On a personal note I don't involve myself in objections or appeals so the best advice I can give you is to engage a planning consultant.

The_Bullman · 22-07-2007 1:05pm

I have received a request for FI and I've a few questions about it.

Firstly is it normal for the planner to ask for "letter from the local clergy stating the address of the family home and the number of years the applicant has lived in the area"

I also have to give a letter from the local school principal, and a copy of my birth cert.

Do I have to go down the the local priest to get this? Any other options?

My other question revolves around this

The applicant is requested to submit the land registry certificates and folio maps for the entire family land holding from which this site has been taken. Any sites disposed off from the holding should be indicated.( 2 copies).

Please note that when the land registry certs and folio maps for the holding are submitted, this Planning Authority may consider and alternative site nearer the public road to be more appropriate for the development.

Do they have the power to over-rule my location of a site? Can they they force me into choosing a different one?

Would it make a difference if the site was in my name rather than my family? Would that stop them from looking at other possible sites?

muffler · 22-07-2007 1:35pm

Your query is centred around the local needs/indigenous issues. This varies from county to county and really and truly you would either need to read through the housing policies contained the county development plan or be guided by your architect/agent.

Requesting info from the local clergy would be normal enough. However I dont think that you would be restricted to the local clergy. A peace commissioner, solicitor, county councillor etc may be able to give you the info requested but again it will be stated in the devp. plan as to who can provide this info.

In relation to the location of the site they can state where on the overall lands that you can build. For example they may not be happy with your present site because of visual amenities issues, traffic problems, ribbon devp. etc etc and they would refuse the permission but would attach a rider stating that an application for a site located on a certain part of the overall lands would be more favourably considered.

From your post it appears that the land is not registered in your name and it would be pointless to do so now as they would see it as an attempt to circumvent policies they may have.

Best advice I can give you is to enquire as to which of the local councillors has the best "working relationship" with the planning dept and go to him/her and ask them to assist with your application.

Good luck with it.

superbluedub · 27-08-2007 8:47pm

hi i bought a house with a restriction on the planning permission stating that house must not be used as a holiday home.however i could not get decent employment in the area so could not move my family into our new house on a permanent basis.can anyone please tell me what will happen with my house as im not able to comply with the restriction.any help/info would be very grateful.

muffler · 28-08-2007 12:45am

superbluedub wrote:

hi i bought a house with a restriction on the planning permission stating that house must not be used as a holiday home.however i could not get decent employment in the area so could not move my family into our new house on a permanent basis.can anyone please tell me what will happen with my house as im not able to comply with the restriction.any help/info would be very grateful.

If you have already bought it Im sure your solicitor would have been aware of the condition and unless he has advised you to the contrary I cant see you having any problem with it. In saying that the details you give are sketchy.

When you say that you "could not move my family into our new house on a permanent basis" do you mean that they are there just occasionally (as in a little holiday

)

Miles-e-piles · 16-09-2007 5:15pm

Perhaps someone on boards.ie has had some experience of this and can offer some advice.

My wife and I are currently making some amends to our home/property.

We want to (1) add a driveway to the side of our front garden and (2) remove our front door/entrance (we use the side entrance and back door as the main entrance/exit).

(1) The Department of the Environment and Local Government's leaflet Doing Work around the House – The Planning Issues (PL5) states:

"Car parking spaces, hard surfacing, garden paths, garden ponds and patios etc. are exempt (from planning permission) once they are not more than 1 metre above or below existing ground level. There are no other limitations to the rear of the house but no more than 2 car parking spaces to the side or front of the house are exempt."

OK, so it seems we don't need planning permission for our new driveway, but what about breaking our front garden wall and lowering the footpath? Do we need to obtain some form of permission to do this?

(2) Similarly, do we require some form of permission to remove (brick up) our front doorway/entrance? Removing an entrance wouldn't seem to require planning permission as we are not extending the property in any way. Perhaps I am missing something and some form of permission IS required, any/all advice would be greatly appreciated. M-E-P 16.09.07

ircoha · 16-09-2007 8:03pm

Miles-e-piles wrote:

Perhaps someone on boards.ie has had some experience of this and can offer some advice.

My wife and I are currently making some amends to our home/property.

We want to (1) add a driveway to the side of our front garden and (2) remove our front door/entrance (we use the side entrance and back door as the main entrance/exit).

(1) The Department of the Environment and Local Government's leaflet Doing Work around the House – The Planning Issues (PL5) states:

"Car parking spaces, hard surfacing, garden paths, garden ponds and patios etc. are exempt (from planning permission) once they are not more than 1 metre above or below existing ground level. There are no other limitations to the rear of the house but no more than 2 car parking spaces to the side or front of the house are exempt."

OK, so it seems we don't need planning permission for our new driveway, but what about breaking our front garden wall and lowering the footpath? Do we need to obtain some form of permission to do this?

(2) Similarly, do we require some form of permission to remove (brick up) our front doorway/entrance? Removing an entrance wouldn't seem to require planning permission as we are not extending the property in any way. Perhaps I am missing something and some form of permission IS required, any/all advice would be greatly appreciated. M-E-P 16.09.07

You will need council approval to put in the new pathway onto the road and AFAIK, they will do it for you and bill you [ insurance reasons ]

I would imagine that they may object to closing off the front door as u are changing the streetscape: from your own perpective are u happy that

1 u are not creating a potential fire hazard

2 diminishing the value of the property as the new access might not suit a new owner

muffler · 16-09-2007 9:25pm

As irocha said you will need permission for the new drive/entrance/dishing.

By closing the door ope you are altering the external front elevation of the house and thus you need permission. You shouldn't have any difficulty in getting permission for this and the whole thing can be done with the same application.

Miles-e-piles · 17-09-2007 3:43pm

Thanks Muffler,
By any chance do you know, is it the standard (extensive) planning permission form that needs to be completed (and returned) in respect of these minor amendments or is there a more appropriate form?

Most of the information requested on the standard planning permisssion form relates to extending a property and seems irrelevant to the type of amends we are planning. Thanks again, M-E-P 17.09

muffler · 17-09-2007 3:47pm

Miles-e-piles wrote:

Thanks Muffler,
By any chance do you know, is it the standard (extensive) planning permission form that needs to be completed (and returned) in respect of these minor amendments or is there a more appropriate form?

Most of the information requested on the standard planning permisssion form relates to extending a property and seems irrelevant to the type of amends we are planning. Thanks again, M-E-P 17.09

Its the same form for every type of planning application - just score through the sections that dont apply to you or your application.

dcom · 30-09-2007 10:55pm

We currently have planning permission for a 3800 sq ft dormer bunglow in kildare and we were wondering if anybody knows how difficult it would be to get permission to change a hip roof to a gable end wall its at the back of the house??
I know that you can make small changes at the back of a house without affecting your planning but this is probably considered a major change!

muffler · 30-09-2007 11:04pm

dcom wrote:

We currently have planning permission for a 3800 sq ft dormer bunglow in kildare and we were wondering if anybody knows how difficult it would be to get permission to change a hip roof to a gable end wall its at the back of the house??
I know that you can make small changes at the back of a house without affecting your planning but this is probably considered a major change!

Strictly speaking you cant change anything in a new build, front back or side, without getting consent. I wouldnt see a problem with changing from a hip to a gable and in fact the planners would prefer gabled ended roofs. However your best bet is to submit it to them as a "minor amendment" It only involves giving them a drawing showing what you propose to amend & how it will look upon completion. Do up a covering letter and pay a fee. The fee for that in Donegal is €63 but it may vary so you would better ringing them first and asking. You should be able to change a copy of the plan yourself. A bit of tippex to take out the hip roof and a couple of straight lines to show the gables will get you sorted.

Miles-e-piles · 01-10-2007 2:45pm

Many thanks to everyone who helped me with my queries (Adding driveway and removing doorway???).

Is it just me or are the Planning Permission application forms (I downloaded mine from the DLRCOCO website) very poorly designed?

I just wasted a couple of hours trying to complete a PP application in respect of the minor amends I outlined in my original query/post above.

I got so frustrated/confused by the whole affair that I had to ask my wife to contact the Planning Department in DLRCOCO for almost step-by-step assistance in completing the application form.

I'm not particularly stupid, but I found the forms very intimidating and unclear to the general user (home owner). M-E-P, 01.10.07

dcom · 01-10-2007 9:39pm

Thanks Muffler.
I will ring Kildare Co Co tomorrow.

eve23 · 15-10-2007 9:59am

Hi, I submitted an application to build a house in galway on a site with poor drainage, it failed percolation test which we knew would happen so our surveyor devised a solution to this problem which was a treatment system followed by a big sand polishing filter, basically he says in the report that if this system is adhered to there should be no problem regards pollution. After the 8 weeks since application was in the planners got back to us and said the application will be refused because of the pollution risk despite the treatment system. can they do this? surely the surveyors opinion must count, after all he is qualified in this area and knows what he is talking about? Any thoughts on this?

muffler · 15-10-2007 1:13pm

eve23 wrote: »

Hi, I submitted an application to build a house in galway on a site with poor drainage, it failed percolation test which we knew would happen so our surveyor devised a solution to this problem which was a treatment system followed by a big sand polishing filter, basically he says in the report that if this system is adhered to there should be no problem regards pollution. After the 8 weeks since application was in the planners got back to us and said the application will be refused because of the pollution risk despite the treatment system. can they do this? surely the surveyors opinion must count, after all he is qualified in this area and knows what he is talking about? Any thoughts on this?

It appears that you have not yet been officially refused. In all fairness your architect/agent should be giving you an answer to your query as he/she would or at least should be familiar with the workings of the planners in Galway.

I think you should get whoever carried out the site assessment to talk directly to the E.H.O. and if they are happy with the proposal then maybe that particular E.H.O would write or email the planner dealing with your application and confirm this. If all else fails get your local councillor or TD on board - it helps. It shouldnt but it does.

MegaShelley · 19-10-2007 6:43am

Hi,

I have two requests:-

1. Can anyone recommend a GOOD Planning Consultant in Co. Wexford? We need someone who really knows the planning laws.

2. Has anyone any knowledge or experience of replacing a property by taking down and rebuilding one wall at a time? Sounds crazy to me, but it has been suggested that it might be our only option!

Any advise would be great.

Thanks

smashey · 19-10-2007 8:59am

MegaShelley wrote: »

Hi,

I have two requests:-

1. Can anyone recommend a GOOD Planning Consultant in Co. Wexford? We need someone who really knows the planning laws.
Any Architect/Engineer will know the planning process. Ask around the locality starting with neighbours/friends.

2. Has anyone any knowledge or experience of replacing a property by taking down and rebuilding one wall at a time? Sounds crazy to me, but it has been suggested that it might be our only option!
Why is this your only option?

Any advise would be great.

Thanks

Remember, any recommendations are to be by pm.

MegaShelley · 19-10-2007 9:52am

Hi Smashy,

1. Tried an Architect who wasn't local - it didn't work out. Architects etc should know the planning laws, however, I get the impression that some may be more up-to-date than others. We don't know anyone locally who has built anything in over 20 years which is why I used the boards to ask for a recommendation (by PM of course) for a good Planning Consultant In Co Wexford.

2. Decided to go directly to the CoCo and ask some questions about what we could do. We want to replace an existing house (it's on .29 acre with a Septic tank) Was a bit shocked :mad: when informed that we would not get planning permission to do a replacement build as under current regulations the site is considered too small for a Septic Tank (the original house - a holiday home - was built with PP in the early 70's and really needs to be replaced) It was suggested that we should employ a Planning Consultant to advise us on exactly what our options are and that in order to update/refurbish the existing house we could knock down and rebuild one wall at a time. The house would stay the same size and shape, but, would obviously be built to a higher standard with better insulation etc. I can't quite understand

how you would do this so was curious to find out whether anyone has updated an older property using this method or knew of someone who did.
Any advise on this matter would be gratefully received.
Thanks:)

Villain · 19-10-2007 11:03am

Just a quick querstion it may not be possible at all but is there any adjoining land that you could possibly purchase to use as a perculation area?

Slates · 19-10-2007 3:17pm

I attended a preplanning meeting today, very usefull.

MegaShelley · 19-10-2007 4:24pm

irish1 wrote: »

Just a quick querstion it may not be possible at all but is there any adjoining land that you could possibly purchase to use as a perculation area?

Hi Irish1,

Yes, there is a field beside our plot (approx .25 acre) However, we're:-

1. Not sure the farmer would even entertain the idea of selling it to us.
2. Not overly keen on paying a Kings ransom for the land either.:eek: and
3. Not really interested in acquiring more land to look after. We find cutting the grass and generally taking care of the .29 acre we already have is more than enough!

Once we've seen a Planning Consultant and find out what they have to say; it might be something we have to investigate.

Villain · 19-10-2007 5:07pm

Well if its that size it won't be worth much to a farmer, obviously you don't want to tell him that you need it or you won't get planning but you could ask how much he wants for it, you might be surprised and if he is only using it for silage or hay you could agree to let him use it once you have installed the perculation area.

sculptor · 26-10-2007 6:48pm

I'm new so I'm not sure if I@m posting in the right place.
We live in a Victorian terraced house with no preservation order on it and we had an pre 63 second storey extension at the end of our annex above the origional single storey pantry. It's poorily built and was coming away from the main building. The adjoining neighbours pantry is so bad they are demolishing it, they had no second storey.
We were selling half of the back garden with planning permision for a mews to finance the extensive work the house needs. So it was chicken and egg situation, we didnt have the money to fix the house till we sold the site and when we sold the site we would not have access.
I decided to demolish and remove as much rubble as possible after we had sale agreed and before we signed contracts. I did it myself after getting a quoate for 36K.
Do we need planing permission to replace what was removed?
None of the neighbours have a problem with what were doing.

dcom · 01-12-2007 5:09pm

Hi,

We are thinking about changing a couple of small things on our one off house in Co Kildare for which we already got planning permission. Changing from a hipped roof to a gable roof is the biggest change the others are very small changes to the window design and we added a couple more velux windows.

I originally posted asking for advice and Muffler suggested that we apply for a minor amendment and having spoken with the council we have to submit a whole new application inorder to make the changes.

Does all building work have to stop while we make the application for the amendments?????

Planning issues - post them here MOD WARNING post #1

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