Back-garden homes overloading appeals board

HOMEOWNERS in some of the country’s most expensive neighbourhoods are contributing to a surge in planning appeals by attempting to build lucrative developments in their back gardens.

But swapping flower beds for money trees by planting profitable second houses and apartment blocks on scarce green spaces is upsetting the neighbours and adding to the workload of the appeals board.

An Bord Pleanála chairman John O’Connor said backyard and side garden developments were a new phenomenon particularly common in exclusive areas such as leafy south Dublin.