New Planning Bill will help young people trying to build a home, says Senator Brian Ó Domhnaill

Posted on 24/01/10 by Brian Ó Domhnaill

The new Planning and Development Amendment Bill 2009 being discussed in the Dáil and Seanad this week will help young people and families planning to build a new home.

The purpose of the Bill is to amend the Planning and Development Acts 2000 to 2007.

Section 23 of the Bill will help provide some breathing space for families and young people who have planning permission on a site but who are not currently in a position to start building.

As it stands at the minute, the duration of a planning permission can only be extended, subject to certain conditions, where substantial works have been carried out before the expiration of the original permission.

The proposed amendment provides for the extension of permission (for a period of up to 5 years) in circumstances where substantial works have not been carried out, but there were commercial, economic or technical considerations, beyond the control of the applicant, which substantially mitigated against either the commencement of development or the carrying out of substantial works.

This is something which I have been personally raising with the Minister for Environment, Heritage & Local Government for more than a year.

I know a lot of young people and families in Donegal who were ready and willing to get their foot on the property ladder. They achieved their planning permission they were eager to get going.

But the downturn has seen a lot of people lose their jobs and obviously this hinders their ability to start the building process.

 It wouldn’t be fair if they lost their planning permission and had to go through the entire process again and that is why I am delighted the Government is proposing this particular amendment.

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