Guidelines ‘biggest PR stunt since Houdini escape’

A KERRY councillor claimed, yesterday, people were learning that the planning guidelines announced by Environment Minister Dick Roche amounted to the “greatest PR stunt since Houdini’s escape.”

Independent councillor Brendan Cronin also said that people, who had previously been refused planning permission, were being given the wrong impression that they would now find it easier to get planning.

“Dick Roche put a lovely gloss on the guidelines, but people have been put under a false illusion,” he claimed.

The issue was raised at a Kerry County Council area meeting, in Killarney, by Fine Gael councillor Tom Sheahan, who said that if the minister was really serious about the guidelines he would have made them law.

However, independent councillor Danny Healy-Rae - a strong advocate of more liberal planning - described the guidelines as propaganda. “It’s just as well that they are only guidelines,” he added.

Senior planning engineer Michael Lynch said council management was reviewing the implications of the guidelines for the county development plan and would be recommending necessary alternations.

“Some parts (of the guidelines) could be interpreted as being more restrictive than what we have in the county development plan,” he said. Fianna Fáil councillor Tom Fleming called for more commonsense and flexibility from planners and also felt there should be obligatory pre-planning consultations.

Some councillors criticised architects and other agents who prepared planning applications and then advised their clients to contact their local councillors.

Cllr Brendan Cronin said it was time such people took responsibility for what they were well-paid for.

“Maybe it’s time the public took the attitude that these people should be paid no fees unless planning is granted. They can come up with proposals for a 20 houses in a bog and still get paid for it,” he claimed.

Mr Lynch said sometimes in contacts between agents, the planning department and councillors messages got confused.

Meanwhile, independent councillor Michael Gleeson called for “positive guidance” for people wishing to build cluster-type housing.