Plan ‘ limiting’ rural homes

PLANNERS with Sligo County Council are dictating and prescribing every single detail that goes into a new house design.

That’s according to Councillor Paul Taylor who was discussing proposed changes to the Draft Development Plan 2017- 2023.

One line proposed to be inserted said that “Direction should be taken from the historic building stock of the area, reflecting local patterns in terms of scale, height, mass, form, layout, proportions, materials and architectural details.”

Cllr Taylor asked if this was not “limiting people in terms of design.”

“Year after year we seem to be limiting people as to what they can build in a rural area. I can’t put in what I want,” he said.

“I can’t have it looking hideous but every single thing is dictated and prescribed,” he added.

Acting Senior Executive Planner Mihaela Davidescu insisted the plan was “not prescriptive.”

“It’s a suggestion - ‘ should’. We are trying to encourage people to recognise the built and landscape heritage of the area. We are all trying to protect the built heritage. We are all so proud of Sligo’s heritage,” she told members.

Head of Planning with the Council Frank Moylan said the sentence was “purely guidance” as those were the types of answers people were looking for.

“But ultimately it’s what you rely on when rejecting a planning application,” said Cllr Sinead Maguire.

“It’s very limiting. People need to live here. We don’t want a situation where we’re protecting a great big park where no one lives,” she added.

Cllr Margaret Gormley said: “We’re told it’s guidance but once its in here we’re directed to it. It’s to discourage people from living in rural areas. We’re put down into a hole. People want to live here for the rest of their days - surely to God they need an input into that.”

“I don’t like this word ‘ guidance’ - once it goes in, we’re quoted ‘ it’s in the Development Plan, you can’t do this, you can’t do that. Let’s have a bit of common sense for people who want to live in the countryside. It’s nearly impossible to get planning, that’s not good enough,” she said.

Cllr Paul Taylor said people can’t understand that if they have a field, they’re told they can’t build on one side of the field or the other.

“It’s like they’re trying to hide the house,” he said. He proposed removing that sentence from the Draft Development Plan and was seconded by Cllr Margaret Gormley.