Local Needs Meath CoCo

hunnybee

Hi, looking for some advice really..I am trying to get planning permission in the Meath area. I was refused in June based on Local Needs, everything else was perfect.
After spending a huge amount of money, all my savings and get refused, it was very disheartening. I am putting it in again and have a pre planning clinic next week. The only thing is I don't have any additional info that would strengthen my case. My dad owns the site, it is about 5 miles from the family home. I am living at home with parents, working in Dublin, commuting everyday, have never bought or sold a property and need my own place. As the site is 5 miles away, I am not an actively seeking member of the community...
Has anybody been through this?

Penn

perhaps you should get an OS map, mark your family home and the proposed site on it, show the distances between them both going by roads and as the crow flies. Mark any important places, like where you went to school, relatives houses etc, if they are on the map

You may not be an active part of the community, but you're still part of it

hunnybee

Thanks for that, I have all the maps- never thought of marking important places on it

Penn

I just remembered other things you can do such as bring school results if your school was nearby (but might not be on the map), if you're a member of the local credit union/bank, college results, tax documents, basically any documents which will have your address on it to show that you've been living there for as long as you have (presumably all your life as you said family home) so maybe even your birth certificate

hunnybee

Cheers, I had all of those the last time...

Penn

strange that they'd ask for more then if you had even some of the things I mentioned. Just gather together anything and everything you can and try the maps too. If you throw enough s**t at a wall some of it's bound to stick

hunnybee

I will!

kelle

It's a pity the site is so far from your parents house, otherwise you could explain you will need to be nearby to care for your parents when they become elderly and infirm. Is there another relative near the site that may need special care in the future? My friend has a brother with Downs Syndrome and she got PP first time - she mentioned her parents becoming elderly and being required to care fulltime for her brother in the future.

cue

I feel your pain. The process is inconsistent and baffling and in my opinion a fecking racket.
Ask your agent/architect to ask the planners what exactly you need to produce to fulfill the local needs. Visit the clinic of your favourite county councillor. It is the councillors who ensure that the planners adhere to guidelines so if you feel that the guidelines are obstructing you in an unfair manner, give them an earful. If you have a good case and they are going to lose a vote they will act for you.
They will all do their utmost to NOT give an answer on whether your application will be successful beforehand but I would strongly suggest that you pressurise either the planner or the councillor to state that they see no reason why it would not be granted. Get that in writing before you apply again or otherwise it could be refused for something else.
Good luck and don't let them drive you mad.

Ginger83

hunnybee your post would stress anyone out, I'm sure you are at your wits end.
I have had similar problems, my partner and I were refused planning on a site right beside her home-place, she lived there all her life as did her parents, I lived there around 18years. To our own disappointment a family of 'blow-ins' from another county received planning on the first application.

I must say the whole system is baffling and as biased as I've ever seen, but not too worry I have a few points you may not have heard of.

The whole 3 mile local need does not really stand, I have a brother who received planning 6.3mile from our home-place on a site that had 4 previous refusals from what I would consider to be locals.

If as you say you are travelling to Dublin to work maybe you could prove to the planners you are returning to the area you intend to build on each evening after work, maybe by producing bus tickets etc. I had a female friend asked to do same but for different county council. Alot of the time the want to see if you are planning to become involved and contribute to the local community. Or on the other hand lash up a house and flog it (maybe not like 2 years ago). But if you get the local TD on your case this would also be a good direction of attack. Good luck with it