PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT
Carlow County Council oversees the proper planning and sustainable development of the County. The day-to-day operation of the department involves responding to pre-planning consultations, processing of planning applications, preparation of Local Area Plans, enforcement actions, building control and forward planning and the Town Renewal Scheme. Development control and enforcement will ensure that all developments are carried out in an orderly manner and the appropriate levies are obtained to cater for the varying future needs of the County.
TOWN RENEWAL
Continued work under the Town Renewal Scheme has resulted in the regeneration of many sites in the urban areas of Bagenalstown, Tullow and Tinnahinch.
LOCAL AREA PLANS
The County Development Plan contains objectives to prepare Local Area Plans and in 2006 Local Area Plans for Ballinabranna,/ Raheendoran, and Tinryland were adopted. These Local Area Plans provided an opportunity for the public to have an input into the framework document for development of their local communities.
FORWARD PLANNING
The County Carlow Development Plan was adopted by the Council in 2003. The Plan provides for the framework within which the sustainable development of the County will take place over the period 2003–2009. The County Development Plan seeks to promote and provide for the development of Carlow in an orderly manner.
As part of this objective, consultations commenced in 2006 with regard to making Local Area Plans for Carlow Environs, Ballon, Hacketstown, Kildavin, Clonegal and Carrickduff.
DEVELOPMENT CONTRIBUTIONS SCHEME
In accordance with the provisions of the Planning & Development Act 2000–2002, Development Contributions Schemes were adopted providing for the levying of a contribution towards the provision of public infrastructure and facilities applied in respect of residential and low-density residential developments in Local Area Plan lands at Ballinbranna/ Raheendoran and Rathoe. In addition the overall development contribution scheme for the County commenced its review process during 2006 and observations were invited on a draft development contribution scheme.
STRATEGIC POLICY COMMITTEE
Under the chairmanship of Cllr. William Paton, this committee formulated and reviewed a number of policies in relation to planning in 2006.
The following were considered by the Committee:
- Local Area Plans for Ballinabranna/ Raheendoran and Development Contrbution Schemes.
- Local Area Plans for Rathoe, Clonegal, Hacketstown, Kildavin, Carrickduff, Ballon and Carlow Environs.
- Revised Development Contribution Scheme for County Carlow.
- Draft guidelines on the preparation of development plans.
- Proposed Carlow Arts Strategy 2007 - 2010
Enforcement
Possible unauthorised developments investigated |
84 |
Warning letters issued |
16 |
Enforcement notices served |
32 |
Legal proceedings initiated |
2 |
P: Planning and Building Control
P.1 Planning Applications - Decision-Making
Category |
Column A - No. of applications decided |
Column B – No. of decisions in Column A which were decided within 8 weeks |
Column C –No. of decisions in Column A which required the submission of further information. |
Column D – No. of decisions in Column A where an extension of time was agreed to by the applicant, under section 34 (9) of the Planning and Development Act 2000. |
|||||
Individual Houses |
455 |
289 |
164 |
1 |
|||||
Housing |
70 |
33 |
37 |
0 |
|||||
Other: not requiring EIA |
531 |
393 |
135 |
1 |
|||||
Other: requiring EIA |
10 |
5 |
5 |
0 |
|||||
Column E – Average length of time taken (in days) to decide an application where further information was sought. |
Column F % of grants |
Column G - % of refusals |
Column H - % of cases where the decision was confirmed by An Bord Pleanála |
Column I – |
|||||
79 |
82 |
18 |
60 |
40 |
|||||
81 |
83 |
17 |
50 |
50 |
|||||
80 |
95 |
5 |
65 |
35 |
|||||
79 |
90 |
10 |
0.00 |
0 |
|||||
P.2 Planning Enforcement
- total number of cases subject to complaints that were investigated - 84
- number of enforcement procedures taken through warning letters - 16
- number of enforcement procedures taken through enforcement notices - 32
- number of prosecutions - 2
P.3 Public opening hours –
- average number of opening hours per week – 35 hours per week 9.30 – 4.30
P.4 Pre-Planning Consultation
- Number of pre-planning consultation meetings held – 210
- Average length of time from request for consultation with the local authority to actual formal meeting for pre-planning consultation – 22.8 days