€6,000 later, Patrick is ‘sick to death’ of planning system

A YOUNG Tipperary man has spent nearly €6,000 unsuccessfully trying to get planning permission in the last three years.

Patrick English, aged 27, from Bourncourt, near Cahir, said he was "sick to death" of the planning system. "I've moved the site of the house three times and it's costing me money every single time (in plans and engineering reports). I have not one sod turned on the house."

Mr English owns the site for his proposed house and works in the local tourist attraction, the Mitchelstown Caves which his family owns and also in the town's Dairygold factory. He said it was frustrating to see other two-storey houses going up, while his own applications were rejected for not being in keeping with the area. "I'm living at home but you can't stay at home forever. And it I was renting, that's just dead money."

Mr English also knows, if he does get planning permission for a new house, building materials and labour will be more expensive than they were three years ago. South Tipperary County Council also introduced higher development charges this month which can be as much as €7,000 for a large house.

"You're working, trying to make a few pounds but they take you for every penny they can get," said Mr English.

He believes organisations like An Taisce, which regularly criticise one-off housing as 'unsustainable', are out of touch.

"These people are all from the cities and they want to drive around the countryside and see animals and trees," he said.

Mr English attended a planning protest outside the office of South Tipperary County Council last year and has regularly contacted local councillors.

The local authority, South Tipperary County Council, now seem willing to grant Mr English planning permission for a modified two-storey house. He will have to pay for more engineering studies, however, he is determined to carry on.

"I can't stop now, because I've gone too far," he said.

When contacted about its planning policy, South Tipperary County Council said it granted planning permission to around 1,500 houses last year.

According to senior engineer Dennis Holland, the recently approved county development plan recognises the housing needs of people who have a connection with their area and those who live among declining populations.

He said the council did grant permission to two-storey houses in rural areas, but that they had to be adapted to suit the site.