Proposal to change planning policy in Mayo
The measure was proposed to help more people achieve planning permission.Picture: iStock
A Castlebar councillor has proposed making a change to council policy to make it easier for people to achieve planning permission.
Cllr Cyril Burke said people who are not originally from the an area find it extremely difficult to obtain planning permission in locations under ‘urban pressure.’ He pointed to Galway County Council where if someone is living in an area for seven years or more, they are considered a local resident.
“At the moment it’s down to interpretation,” he stated.
Cllr Burke’s proposal was backed by his fellow councillors at a meeting of Castlebar Municipal District.
Cllr Donna Sheridan told the meeting that some planning agents are not acting in the best interests of young couples.
She said some couples are being advised to proceed with planning applications when basic issues like trial holes are clearly problematic.
“I have seen this happen a lot,” said Cllr Sheridan.
“It boils my blood that young couples are being put in this position. It’s not all agents. They are brilliant agents out there.” “These are young couples who are being led down the garden path,” she added.
Cllr Harry Barrett told his fellow councillors that the local authority is “running to standstill” when it comes to tackling dereliction and vacancy.
“We have to double down again on dereliction,” he stated.
Cllr Barrett highlighted four “stand out sites” in the Castlebar area He listed the 77 units near Saleen, the old hat factory, Healy’s Hotel in Pontoon, and a number of derelict homes in Lahardane.
“I want to see more CPOs (Compulsary Purshase Orders) in this district. I want to see more derelict site levies applied,” said Cllr Barrett.
A recent council meeting was told that the local authority collected just €37,000 in Derelict Sites levies for 2024, despite 245 properties being listed in the county on the Derelict Sites register at the end of the year.
Cllr Barrett proposed that site identification should be carried out as soon as possible in the Castlebar area for sites that can be included in the Housing Infrastructure Investment Fund that is available to local authorities.
He also argued that the council should have its own affordable housing scheme to make these projects more affordable for prospective homeowners.
"We are dealing now in this county with the working poor."
