Anger among Mayo councillors at planning refusals in rural areas

PLANNERS who are ‘green sympathisers’ should not be allowed to work within Mayo County Council’s planning department, as they will prevent one-off housing according to a local councillor.

The issue of planning and one-off housing in rural areas was debated for over an hour at yesterday’s monthly meeting of the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District where councillors claimed that some planners were not using their commonsense when deciding on planning applications.

During the debate, Independent councillor John O’Malley explained he knew of a planning application in Carrowholly which was refused by Mayo County Council but overturned by An Bord Pleanála. He questioned if some planners in the council had an agenda against one-off housing in rural areas.

“The planners all differ so much and to me do you think we should have them go through a certain criteria before they are allowed [into the council]. If they are green sympathisers they should not be in that job because they will not give planning to someone in rural areas. We want to know who we are letting in to be planners. There are some very good planners who listen to logic and good reason but some of them just say it is not right and can’t be done and it’s wrong,” he said.

The matter of planning was first raised by Achill-based councillor Paul McNamara who explained that a young couple in Mulranny have spent €25,300 on two planning applications and they were no closer to being granted planning permission to live in their home community.

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The Fianna Fáil councillor pointed out ‘every designation and regulation’ is stopping the couple from building a home while a kilometre away the council allowed themselves to build 16 houses which come out onto the N59.

‘Ridiculous’

“IT [site] is where their home house is and it is ridiculous that a couple are put to that expense of €25,300 so far and they still have no permission.

“Before they put down a shovel in the ground this is the amount of money they are going to have to spend to get planning permission. They are so frustrated they don’t know whether they will apply again. I think it is absolutely crazy.

“If commonsense doesn’t start to prevail there will be no one off housing in rural areas and that is what the central government wants. They want no one off housing and all brought into towns or clustered housing and to me that is not what works in rural Ireland. If the young people cannot get planning permission in areas they are born bred and reared what is it all about and what are we at as a council,” he said.

Cllr Paul McNamara

Cllr McNamara said he was also angered when he was told that when the couple rang the council to ask to speak to the planner they were informed the planner did not have to speak to them. This prompted Erris-based councillor Gerry Coyle to suggest that planners come before them every month to explain the rationale behind recommending refusals.

All of the seven councillors in the Westport/Belmullet Municipal District spoke of the frustrations faced by many people who wish to build in rural areas with Cllr Chris Maxwell commenting that young people will not return to live in rural communities.

Westport-based councillor Peter Flynn also questioned Seamus Ó Mongáin, Head of the Municipal District, who signs off on every planning application if it is just ‘a rubber-stamping exercise’.

However, Mr Ó Mongáin rejected this and claimed that he has overturned some applications since he took up the position but could not say how many.

Refusals

HE also told councillors there were only two refusals in the municipal district in September compared to 21 applications which were granted and 14 where further information was requested.

These figures were questioned by a number of councillors who said the number of refusals would be higher had people not withdrawn their applications before a decision was made.

Mr Ó Mongáin also raised the ire of some of the councillors when he suggested that councillors played a part in refusals as decisions are largely based on the County Development Plan which were passed by the councillors.

Cllr McNamara said he never voted to refuse planning permission in rural areas while Cllr Coyle said the county development plan should be torn up if this is the case.

Westport-based councillor Brendan Mulroy also felt that people born in Ireland are not given enough assistance and people are starting to get ‘pissed off’.

“Let’s treat everyone equally and the Irish citizens in this country deserve to be treated as equally as anybody who comes into this country. I think people are fed up and pissed off. People are at their wits end right now,” he said.

Following the debate, councillors decided not to go ahead and bring planners to the next meeting but instead agreed to hold a workshop with them to discuss planning in rural areas and the best way to go forward.