Clare council moves to dismantle house building restrictions

Clare County Council has moved to dismantle its locals-only policy to ease restrictions on building one-off homes in the countryside.

Only seven months after adopting the Clare County Development Plan, councillors unanimously voted to pass two motions against the advice of management to amend the plan and make it easier for applicants to build one-off homes.

The council had sought to control the proliferation of one-off homes by imposing a general ban on outsiders building homes.

However, in an amendment unanimously adopted by councillors, those who owned land in areas prior to 1999, but without any links to the area, will now qualify as being a local person, entitling them to planning permission.

The council's director of service for planning, Liam Conneally, told councillors that the motion was in conflict with the Sustainable Rural Housing Guidelines.

He also said that it was contrary to Government policy in the National Spatial Strategy.

Mr Conneally added that legal opinion should be obtained before councillors went ahead and changed the development plan.

"I cannot recommend such a variation to you.

"To adopt any person who owns land as being local would undermine the local rural communities in the county," Mr Conneally said.

Tabling the motion, Cllr PJ Kelly (FF) said the amendment reflected the sentiments of councillors.

County manager Alec Fleming told the councillors that their move some months ago to ease restrictions for housing along national secondary routes had already resulted in the National Roads Authority appealing a number of decisions to An Bord Pleanála.

Mr Fleming said that, arising from the two motions, the council would now initiate the public consultation process necessary to amend the county development plan.