During Monday’s electoral area planning meeting in Westport inconsistencies in planning were criticised when an application for a house in the Emlagh area of Louisburgh was refused, even though there is a house built by Mayo County Council in the vicinity.
Senior executive planner John McMyler outlined that planning permission was refused on three grounds: that of visual impact as it would interfere with the character of the landscape as the proposed development would be located in an exposed coastal location overlooking Lough Baun; that the trial hole excavated on the site had a high level of water and poor percolation, which would therefore make it unsuitable for the safe disposal of effluent from a septic tank; and that the development would be contrary to lakeside development as no percolation area should be located within 100 metres of any lake.
Louisburgh Councillor Austin Francis O’Malley said that it seemed “not a fair decision” as Mayo County Council built a house 70 yards from that proposed site and there is a septic tank 55 yards from the edge of the lake. The Fine Gael councillor said that the land is not wet as he walked the site “in my hush puppies” and the ground is “pure rock”.
Cllr O’Malley said that the applicant a young man who worked on his uncle’s land, wanted to come home and live in the area and said that the message which is being sent out is that “I’m from the area but don’t apply and people not from the area come and live”, as there are holiday homes in the area.
The councillor said that the west of Ireland is being closed down as all regulations imposed in planning are “pure hogwash” and “is communism in my books”.
Fianna Fáil Cllr Margaret Adams said that “this returning emigrant should be allowed to build” and that it is “so unfair that people are treated differently” when some people get away with building houses where some of them affect the character of the landscape.
Cllr Peter Flynn concurred that the perception by the public is that there is no equality or consistency in planning as “one house on one side of the road may be granted planning, then virtually the same thing on the other side may be turned down”, and the Fine Gael councillor said that this difficulty, which is a nationwide problem, needs to be explained by planners and councillors as “it causes a lot of frustration for people”.
His party colleague John O’Malley said that for holiday home owners to object to the development “is an outrage” and “they should not be listened to”, and he said that the trial hole should be dug again, as “it is no wonder there was so much water with the amount of rain that fell recently”.
Mr McMyler said that these “clear technical issues” need to be examined but there is still time to look at the planning application as the due date for decision is March 2.
