Michael Healy-Rae’s property travails display disdain for the planning laws

IN 2018, Michael Healy-Rae TD bought a dilapidated house in his native Kilgarvan in Co. Kerry. A year later, he applied for planning permission to extend and expand the property into a single five-bedroom house, and this was granted.

Instead, though, Mr Healy-Rae built four apartments on the site – three studios and a one-bedroom dwelling, with an average 40sq.m floor space, the bare minimum allowed under housing legislation.

These apartments were completed during the pandemic. Last December, on foot of a complaint locally, Kerry County Council issued a warning letter advising that the works were unauthorised and that no permission had been granted to subdivide a house. Councils have the power to order demolition when planning permissions are so blatantly ignored.

But those who build such properties – despite the obvious clear breach of the planning permission – have the recourse to apply for retention, and Mr Healy-Rae did so.

While the original application took five months for approval, the approval for retention came within six weeks.

Despite the contradiction between the original application and what was subsequently built, there is nothing illegal or unusual about this – retentions are frequently granted when they are not injurious to local amenity or contrary to sustainable development of an area.

And, at a time when new housing is struggling to meet demand, there no doubt are people for whom studio apartments afford an opportunity to live in a home of their own, no matter how tiny.

But is it too much to expect that those who pass our laws comply with them? The planning laws are controversial because they control what people can do with their property. While the enforcement process in this instance has been resolved, it really should not have had to be started in the first place.

On a separate note, on the Oireachtas declaration of interests, under which TDs and senators are obliged to list their assets, Mr Healy-Rae last year declared these four apartments as a ‘private dwelling’.

When contacted by this newspaper, he claimed objections to his development were the result of a ‘gripe’ held against him – and hung up. He has subsequently ignored all requests to clarify how a single house became four apartments.

What all this proves is that the register of interests is not fit for purpose. Self-declaration of assets is worthless unless there is rigorous policing of them. Is it really beyond our ability to double check what TDs and senators claim, instead of leaving it to newspapers to do the work instead?

HAVE FUN ABROAD BUT STAY SAFE, TOO

OVER the course of the pandemic, the national savings book has reached a whopping total of €16bn – and with rules on foreign travel relaxing, it seems we are ready for the biggest splurge in our history. As we report today, parents who want to reward children for their resilience in three lockdowns are spending up to €6,000 to bring their families to Lapland to visit Santa, and planning trips to Disneyland Paris and Florida’s theme parks.

This is entirely understandable. It is, however, worth bearing in mind that while we can see daylight beyond the woods, we’re still not out of them. Have fun, by all means – but also stay safe.