Councillors push back on allegations of wealth bias in Leitrim’s planning permissions
Councillors defended Leitrim County Council's Planning Department after Cllr Des Guckian accused the department of favouring wealthy applicants.
A councillor’s motion was met with backlash after he accused the Planning Department in Leitrim County Council of favouring wealthy individuals without local connections by granting planning permission.
At the November Council meeting, Cllr Des Guckian requested that Leitrim County Council explain why "some obviously wealthy people, who have no connection with the local area, have been granted planning permissions for sites overlooking scenic areas of water, while family members of local farmers and other residents have been denied planning permissions."
A reply was curated by Economic Development which explained that the Planning Department disagrees with the wording of Cllr Guckian’s statement, suggesting that a person’s financial status impacts planning applications for individual houses.
The reply explained that only two areas in the county have a restricted rural housing policy due to urban influence, and outside these areas, applicants do not need to demonstrate local connections.
The assessment focuses on site sustainability, such as wastewater and safe access.
The reply further stated that Leitrim County Council has the lowest planning refusal rate out of all local authorities in Ireland, with only 3.8 percent of applications denied since January 2015.
“There is no substance therefore in the statement submitted by Cllr Guckian," the reply concluded.
“There is no undercurrent in what I’ve set out here, I’ve set out the facts,” Cllr Guckian replied.
Cllr Guckian said he has been told that a small but increasing number of wealthy outsiders have been given planning permissions in ‘most doubtful circumstances.’
He accused these people of ‘grossly abusing’ their prohibitions and said they are ‘polluting neighbouring properties.’
“This is a return to the worst kind of British landlordism from 150 years ago,” he remarked.
Other councillors swiftly dismissed Cllr Guckian’s statement.
“There’s very little homes, if any, being refused,” said Cllr Gary Prior. “I feel that this is a headline grabber by Cllr Guckian.”
“I reject that as a member of this local authority,” added Cllr Enda McGloin. “It’s a wrong statement to make.”
“I know six people who have gotten permission in the last nine months in our area. I couldn’t compliment the Planning Department more,” Cllr Stenson said.
Cllr Maeve Reynolds emphasised the importance of speaking up to prevent false information from spreading, noting that it could have negative implications for future planning permission applicants.
“I’d like to pay credit to the Department and the time that they give in the pre-planning meetings to put people in the right direction,” said Cllr Reynolds.
“In a very over-extended department where they’re so generous with their time, I think it’s important that it's on the record.”