Planning for modular home to house a mother in County Limerick refused
The couple had applied for retention of planning for a unit built during the pandemic
A COUNTY Limerick couple have been refused retention of planning for a modular home at the back of their own house for one of the applicant’s mothers to live in, which was put in place during the pandemic as an emergency measure.
The couple from Bulgaden appealed the council's decision to refuse permission for the modular unit, made up of two bedrooms, two bathrooms with a kitchen and living room, to An Bord Pleanála.
According to the application, its purpose would be to “provide independent shelter for the applicant’s mother/mother-in-law in close proximity to the family home”.
It was refused by the Planning Authority on the basis that it is not an extension of the family home, as set out in the Subdivision of Dwelling to Accommodate Dependent Relative of the Limerick Development Plan 2022-2028.
The home also does not meet the planning requirements for a granny flat.
“There is a presumption against detached residential structures of this nature,” the report noted.
While Limerick City and County Council aim to facilitate accommodation for older people and dependent relatives within the family home, this must meet certain conditions.
These include being attached to the home by way of an extension, having an internal connecting door between the two residences, and that it must not be used as rental accommodation at any point.
The report points out that originally, the “development was necessitated during the pandemic as an urgent response to a family crisis.”
The refusal centres around the unit being detached from the family home and the report states: “The dwelling is offset from both of its side boundaries and there are no apparent physical restrictions on the site that would prevent a family flat from being linked directly to the main dwelling via an internal connecting door.”