McDowell forced to apply for retention of house
Roscommon county manager John Tiernan said yesterday a request that had been made for a three-month extension when permission expired in August was "invalid" on the grounds that the building nearing completion now is significantly different to the one originally approved.
However, one of the companies building the house said yesterday that the issues were so minor that it did not think that an application for retention was necessary. The basis of the council's decision was that the floor levels were some two metres lower than originally approved.
It also raised an issue about the external finish of the house.
In a further response to the controversy on RTÉ Radio yesterday Mr McDowell once again reiterated that he had been assured by his construction consultants that the house was in substantial compliance.
"(The contractors) have said if there is anything necessary to be done, to finish it in a way which satisfies the county council completely, they'll do it.
"They accept responsibility for the matter and they accept that their instructions from me was to build a house in accordance with the planning application and the planning permission that was already extant."
Yesterday, Griffner Coillte, the company that manufactured the four-bedroom timber frame house, said as far as it was concerned the building was in full compliance with the original planning permission.
Its chief executive Peter Sullivan told the Irish Examiner that the issues raised by Roscommon County Council were very minor issues that were "capable of being sorted out quickly".
He said the exterior finish of the building conformed exactly with that specified in the original planning application.
The consulting engineering firm that prepared the site, Jennings O'Donovan, had also been involved in discussion with the council in relation to the excavation of the site earlier this summer, Mr Sullivan said.
He said the finished floor levels were lowered from the original permission in order to be less obtrusive on the site "and also to ensure compliance by resolving clear ambiguities on the original drawings".
Mr Sullivan said the first indication that either company had received that there were difficulties was when a letter from the council, dated October 5, was received yesterday morning.
The four-bedroom holiday home, with an estimated value of over €500,000, is located on the banks of the Shannon. The area is a tax designated area for holiday homes.
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