Planning permission requirements

FOR those of you about to embark on the exciting experience of building your first home or giving your existing home a much needed extension and makeover, there are a lot of factors that need to be taken into consideration.

Firstly there is the planning process. For a lot of people this may seem very daunting and indeed sometimes off-putting. While it has been well documented that planning permission approvals have been on the increase nationwide over the last year, there remains a set criteria that your proposed house and site must comply with in order to ensure that planning permission will be granted. These are set out in the local authority’s county development plan which will tell you how the area in which you propose obtaining planning permission is zoned, the design principles that must be adopted when designing your house and the objectives that you, as an applicant, must meet in order to comply with the county development plan.

These are broken up into three zoning factors. (A) Areas under strong urban influence These are locations that are on the outskirts of our city and major towns. These locations are very desirable locations to build your house and live. In order to ensure that these areas are not overrun with new one-off houses, the council set stringent objectives for applicants to meet before they apply for planning permission. In order to demonstrate a housing need, any of the below criteria should be met:

• the application is being made by a long-term landowner or his/her son or daughter; or

• the applicant is engaged in working the family farm and the house is for that person’s own use; or

• the applicant is working in essential rural activities and for this reason needs to be accommodated near their place of work; or

• the application is being made by a local rural person(s) who, for family and/or work reasons wish to live in the local rural area in which they spent a substantial period of their lives (minimum 10 years).

(B) Area under strong Agricultural Base These are locations where there is a traditionally strong agricultural base which is usually with areas with a network of smaller rural towns and villages. In order to demonstrate a housing need in these areas any of the below criteria should be met:

• the application is being made by a long-term landowner or his/her son or daughter seeking to build their first home on the family lands; or

• the applicant is engaged in working the family farm and the house is for that person’s own use; or

• the applicant is working in essential rural activities and for this reason needs to be accommodated near their place of work; or

• the application is being made by a local rural person(s) who, for family and/or work reasons, wish to live in the local rural area in which they have spent a substantial period of their lives (minimum10 years) and are seeking to build their first home in the local rural area.

(C) Areas under structurally weak Base

These are usually areas that the council deem to be under-populated or considered to be economically weaker than other areas within the county. There is little or no applicant criteria to be met apart from the standard planning regulations which would be assessed on your application once it is lodged.

Once you are happy that, as an applicant, you comply with the above regulations it is now time to put together your planning application.

This is made up of:

• a local map – 6 copies

• site and layout plans – 6 copies

• plans, elevations and sections of the proposed house that you wish to build – 6 copies

• Site suitability report (percolation test), if required

• Completed local authority planning application form

• Copies of public notices, these are the newspaper ads and the site notices

• The planning application fee which for a new house is €64 and for an extension is €34

Developments Exempt from Planning Permission

Extension - a single storey extension can be constructed at the rear of a house by not more than 40 square metres.

Terraced or Semi-Detached houses - The floor area of a two storey extension cannot exceed 12 square metres. Any two storey extension must be at least 2 metres from any boundary. It is important to ensure that any extension does not exceed the height of the original house and also does not reduce the garden to less than 25 square metres.

Garage - You can build a garage on the condition that it does not extend out beyond the front of the existing house and does not exceed 4 metres in height. The maximum size of a garage that can be constructed without seeking planning permission is no more than 25 square metres. Just like extensions, the construction of a garage must not result in the garden being less than 25 square metres.

Front Porch - A porch to the front of the house can be constructed without planning permission as long as it is no more than 2 square metres in size, at least 2 metres from any public road or footpath and does not exceed 4 metres in height.

Walls, Fences and Gates - Walls and fences can be constructed around your property as long as they do not exceed 1.2m in height at the front of your house or 2metres in height at the side or rear of the house. Gates may be constructed or replaced as long as they are not greater than 2 metres in height.

It is important to note that if you wish to widen your existing site entrance or construct a new one, that planning permission will need to be sought.

Other items not requiring Planning Permission: - Chimney and boiler house - paths, ponds and patios - tv aerials.

Ian Daniels