‘Serial planning Objectors’ raise hackles at Council meeting

A robust discussion at a plenary session of Donegal County Council on Monday ended with members agreeing to pen a strongly worded letter to government about what they deemed to be serial objectors to planning permission applications within the county, particularly objectors from outside the county.

This followed an impassioned debate following a motion by councillor Michael McClafferty requesting fellow councillors to back his motion “calling for the planning objection fee to be raised to a maximum of €500 at least to stop people objecting for no apparent reason”.

However, Cllr Niamh Kennedy said that she was of the opinion that such a move in the fee threshold would cause much anger amongst the likes of genuine community groups, who may feel that they have very genuine good reasons to object to a particular project. 

In putting logic behind his motion, Cllr McClafferty said that many objections were now coming from outside the county and people he called “serial objectors”.

He said that the current fee of €20 was not enough to deter people who were putting in objections (observations which allow them to later object to a planning permission that might be granted by Donegal County Council).

He said that by raising it to €500 they could at least see what they were dealing with and 

It went in tandem with the likes of another subject that he felt strongly about, the inability to get planning along the route of the N56.

In some cases, he claimed that some of “the objectors” were the very same people that had come into the county over the years and purchased land and built properties along the same stretches of road, but who were now objecting to locals trying to build. 

“We will see if they are as quick then objecting to things, than they are at the minute!”.

He was not contemplating a “free for all” for houses to be built along the road but in cases where there were sufficient close family connections to the lands involved.

“It’s crazy now that you can’t build a shed now to put your cows into, but you have somebody from Cork or elsewhere objecting to ya. This is no good.”

Cllr Donal Mandy Kelly said that he was happy enough to second Cllr McClafferty’s motion because it had also been brought to his attention that people from outside the county “were objecting to the likes of slatted houses” and “farm shades” in Donegal.

“This should be tightened up on”.

Cllr Niamh Kennedy said that while she did not “want to be awkward” she said that the updated planning laws were being looked at by the government at present and “there is a process in place and there will be changes made and perhaps this is a wee bit premature”. 

From her viewpoint and that of small communities, who may notice something that is being imposed upon in their area and who feel is not suitable “that they would not have an opportunity to try and raise €500 to put in an objection” would be neither feasible nor realistic.

She asked that the motion be either amended or deferred “until something came out from the government”.

She was supported by Cllr Gerry McMonagle, who said the motion would do no more than use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, even though he understood Cllr McClafferty’s motion in “terms of some of the spurious opposition and negativity around some planning”.      

But locals with genuine concerns also needed to be facilitated in the process, without coming up with what in many cases, would be a whole lot of money. 

Cllr Terry Crossan acknowledged that there was a serial objector out there for what he described were “agricultural slatted houses” in what was “a copy and paste” process.

“We need to get the balance there,” he added.

Cllr Anthony Molloy agreed with previous speakers and suggested the problem did not lay with community groups “but serial objectors out there” as he referenced the loss of a massive project in Ardara some 15 years ago, by objectors living nowhere near Ardara or Dobegal.

Cllr Ciaran Brogan said he agreed with much of what was said, but sided with Cllr McMonagle while he also pointed out that they had no hand, act or part in setting out what the fee would be in any case.

Cllr Nicholas agreed with Cllr McClafferty. 

Further debate saw an eventual compromise to allow the strength of feeling of the proposer and that of other councillors in relation to “serial objectors” be made known to planning authorities.

This would stipulate that they were not happy with serial objectors coming into the county  and being able to change people’s lives by a payment of just €20, and that part of the review of the planning legislation must examine this and that people can’t just be objecting from outside counties or who may have moved to the area and buy a site elsewhere. 

Cllr McClafferty said that An Bord Pleanala must be brought into the equation as well.

He pointed out that one letter to them from a serial objector, or someone who has just come into the county and bought land nowhere near the proposal, before ABP, can end up ruining the life of a family, based on their decision, largely emanating from that single letter objection to a proposal.