‘EASE PLANNING RULES TO HELP IRISH LANGUAGE’

PLANNING regulations should be relaxed to make it easier for Irish speakers to build homes and raise families in their local areas, according to local election candidate Robert Brosnan who believes planners could play an important role in revitalising the Irish language.

Mr Brosnan (pictured right) told The Kerryman this week that, on the election campaign trail from Keel to

Dún Chaoin, he is hearing continuous complaints about the difficulties people experience in attempting to get planning permission in rural areas.

The Sinn Féin candidate said he is particularly concerned that ‘restrictive’ planning policies are forcing native Irish speakers out of rural Gaeltacht areas, and he fears this has profound implications for the survival of Irish-speaking communities in the long term.

Mr Brosnan said “planning regulations need to take account of the need to preserve the Irish language” and Kerry County Council should be able to amend local planning policies to achieve this.

He said this applies particularly to Gaeltacht areas but planning policies could also be directed towards rejuvenating the Irish language outside of the Gaeltacht by making it easier for Irish speakers to get planning permission. To avoid any abuse of such a system, he suggested that planning applicants could be required to pass an Irish test in order to qualify for special consideration.

“A lot of people are telling me that they’re having huge problems getting planning permission for hew houses in rural areas… People who grew up in rural areas can’t get permission to build there – often on their own land – and, as a result, there’s an awful shortage of young families in rural West Kerry,” said Mr Brosnan. “This is depleting the local community in Gaeltacht areas and that is having an impact on the Irish language.”

“We have to allow young, indigenous Irish speakers live in their own area to preserve the language,” he added.

Mr Brosnan also raised concerns about the value of pre-planning meetings which, he believes, should be able to give applicants better information about what will, and will not, be granted planning permission. He said he knows of people who have spent €15,000 - €20,000 on percolation tests, engineers’ reports, surveys and other planning requirements, with no certainty of getting planning permission afterwards. Clearer direction at pre-planning meetings would help avoid such situations arising, he said.