Woman who cannot get insurance for thatched house denied planning to replace roof with tiles
A WOMAN who cannot secure insurance for her thatched house had been denied planning permission to replace the roof with tiles over concerns it would negatively impact the ‘special character’ of the village.
Maeve Dunne claims she is facing years of ‘stress and trauma’ on the issue after Wexford County Council rejected her application to replace the thatched roof on her home at Kilmore Quay with one of natural slate.
Council planners claimed it would have ‘a significant impact on the visual appearance and special character’ of Kilmore Quay given the house’s location at the entrance to the seaside village.
The council also claimed allowing the removal of thatched roofs from contemporary dwellings would set a precedent that would have a detrimental effect ‘on the character and future development’ of Kilmore Quay. In an appeal to An Bord Pleanála, Ms Dunne said the principal reason why she was seeking to change the material of her roof was due to her inability to get the property insured.
Ms Dunne said she had unsuccessfully tried to get insurance cover for her home since she used her entire savings to buy it in 2020 at a time when she considered its thatched roof ‘a key attraction of the property’.
The Dublin woman claimed she was assured by an auctioneer that there would be no issue with getting insurance cover.
She said she had not taken the decision to change the roof material lightly as the proposed works were ‘massively expensive’.
She estimated the construction work would cost in excess of €20,000 together with the process of planning applications which had already cost her more than €1,500.
Consultants for Ms Dunne told An Bord Pleanála that ‘the decision has been taken due to the absolute unavailability of insurance options’.
They claim that she had contacted every insurance company that she could find as well as using an insurance broker to seek policies but could find none.
‘It is not a case that the insurance is too expensive but that policies are not available whatsoever,’ they said.
Ms Dunne pointed out that a newspaper article published last year said approximately half of all owners of thatched properties are without insurance cover.
In her appeal, she also highlighted how a planning report by Wexford County Council on her application had recommended planning permission should be granted as the thatched roof was on a modern building and such properties were ‘not genuine historical thatched cottages.’
However, a senior planner in the council overruled the recommendation and stated that he did ‘not accept that only older buildings should be thatched’. He added that the use of thatch as a building material at both the historic core and entrance to Kilmore Quay ‘needs to be enhanced’.
Consultants for Ms Dunne claim the refusal of her application is based on a personal opinion, given the other planner had found the change of roof material was considered to comply with the
Wexford County Development Plan 2022-2028.
They claim the requirement on their client to retain a thatch roof is ‘onerous in the extreme’ and the council’s position is ‘unreasonable’. They argue that Ms Dunne’s house is not located in an architectural conservation area nor is it a protected structure, while it does not form part of the historic spine of thatched houses in Kilmore Quay.
The consultants also pointed out that a mixture of building types add to the charm of Kilmore Quay with a patchwork of
Detrimental effect on the town
Report was ‘just a whitewash’
‘sympathetic roof materials’ including both thatch and slate being ‘a central component’ of the village’s ‘unique character’.
In a letter seeking help on the issue from various Government ministers last year, Ms Dunne wrote: ‘I have worked hard all my life, paid my taxes and I am now facing years of stress and trauma all because I can’t get insurance.’
She claimed a report by the Department of Housing on insurance last year was ‘just a whitewash’.
The report surveyed the views of around 480 owners of thatched properties in the Republic.
A ruling by An Bord Pleanála on Ms Dunne’s appeal is due by mid-June.