Councillor calls for review of planning rules ‘prohibiting housing’ in Leitrim

Rules that prevent new driveways or increased traffic from existing ones connecting to national roads where the speed limit is over 60 km/h are “prohibiting individuals from seeking planning,” Manorhamilton Municipal District has heard.

The rules apply to all types of development, including one-off rural houses, regardless of the applicant's circumstances.

Cllr Pádraig Fallon brought forward a motion asking about the impact of National Primary Routes on planning applications for houses in the Manorhamilton MD.

Referencing the stretch of the N16 from Glenfarne to Glencar, Cllr Fallon highlighted the consequences of the current planning restrictions.

“It is an issue that needs to be addressed. It’s prohibiting individuals from seeking planning,” Cllr Fallon said.

The guidelines, introduced in 2012, prohibit the construction of houses with direct houses onto national primary roads, as this could compromise safety and the functionality of the roads.

If a person does apply for such a development, the application has to be reviewed by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII).

A reply from the Planning Department confirmed that the County Development Plan adheres to these guidelines. It also noted that in the past decade, no applications have been made for houses with access to a national primary road where the speed limit is 100km/h.

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Cllr Fallon suggested that the lack of applications is because people are already aware their requests would be denied.

“This has a serious impediment and has an impact on our rural communities and sustainability in North Leitrim. Common sense needs to be applied here and needs to be looked at,” he added.

Cllr Fallon’s motion received support from several councillors, who echoed concerns over the obstacles faced by some local residents. “It’s a serious impediment on building houses,” commented Cllr Gilmartin. “We need to get people back into rural areas,” he added.

Cllr Fallon further pointed out that the number of individuals affected is small and that lifting the restrictions wouldn’t lead to a flood of new housing along the route.

Cllr Fallon’s motion will be referred to the Strategic Policy Committee for further discussion.

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