Couple Ordered to Demolish House - any update?

No, they're not toothless. They have dealt with this matter by way of enforcement right up to and including court proceedings. They have used the legal powers conferred on them but they can't be responsible for inadequate legislation in other areas.

The council can only do what they are allowed to legally do, and the owners can avail of their right to appeal. You cannot enforce what you are not legally entitled to enforce if the other side have a right to hinder/overturn that enforcement. The council have done all they can do, they are not toothless, they just have to abide by the law.

It never will be. I suspect the council are sorry they didn't just grant retention the first time around. The council certainly don't want to have to knock it either and are hoping a court eventually rules in favour of the Murrays which won't happen either. The Murrays and the council will just the let the clock tick on this. They will issue letter after letter but won't ever enforce. Laughable.

You expect them to issue enforcement action? Really? As I said earlier what do you think they have been doing since this began!

You obviously haven't a clue about the planning process. That's fine. I haven't a clue about cars for example but I'm not going to enter into a discussion about them when I don't know what I'm talking about and then argue the point with someone who has spent a lifetime working at them.

Enforcement in action in not unique to meath co council. I lived beside a small bungalow that had a demolition order on it for refused planning for over 15 years. It was built in the back garden of another house. It was only demolished when the main house was sold after the original owner and builder died.

Has the court ordered demolition? Or has it rejected an appeal of the councils order to demolish

Sad to say you are probabaly right.

In reality they should be given a notice period to vacate as the house is going to be demolished on X date

I'd they try to block the demolition, arrested and a night in the cells while their horrible monstrosity is flattened.

The right to appeal is an essential part of any legal system.

Yes, that’ll work.

The council sought an order for demolition and this was granted by the high court in 2012 I think, appealed by the Murrays to the supreme court which upheld the decision in 2017.

I've no idea why that wasn't the end of it🤷

It seems that there is some mini-injunction application still before the courts, but why fresh planning applications can occur in the midst of this doesn't make any sense to me.

Edit, the high court order was issued in 2010. One of Mrs. Murray's appeal reasons was that she had lived in the house for 15 years. There's neck and there's neck.

The council should come to some compromise which allows the house to stand, in some form, but with enough changes to demonstrate that building without planning is not without repercussions. If the owners refuse to knock it down, will the council pay, and want to be seen to be paying, to demolish a family home in the present climate? I doubt it.

No. No, they really shouldn't.

I thought they were living in it, are you saying it is vacant?

The Council are doing everything within their power to get it demolished, have been for years, at this stage they are probably hundreds of thousands of Euro down in solicitors fees, and yet the house still stands. You can see what the end result will be, the owners refuse to demolish, the council are faced with the prospect of having to pay if they want it demolished, the owners refuse to vacate and a standoff ensues. From day one, the CoCo should have looked for a compromise solution, it would have saved face, time, and money. Unfortunately it is the Council who are being taught a painful lesson, the house should never have been built, but the owners are now proving that it is difficult for Councils to get owners to demolish structures once build is complete.

at the same time the family are national news, a laughing stock, look like fools, appear greedy, won’t be able to sell, kids likely impacted by it, have had to put up with papers printing lots of private stuff about them, know that people see them as leaches as they are wasting so much tax payers money (even worse is they are causing expense to their local council which diverts money from local services) etc etc.

For all of the above reasons and from what they have admitted they clearly regret what they did.

Surely that means the council did the right thing pursuing them even if it’s expensive as it’ll make others think twice.
- Following your advise would only encourage people to do it if they think they will get away with it.

@shoog You think laws are strictly applied in all cases? Dont be daft. Planning policies are open to interpretation, and opinions can differ even between planners in the same department. Anyone who has had struggles with planners can share their frustration with dealing with a planner who seems a law unto themselves. I can’t think of a law that is strictly applied without the option of appeal, and open to interpretation by the courts. These people are taking advantage of their legal rights, whether you or the council like it, and at the end of it all, I doubt they will demolish it themselves, so where does that leave things?