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(a) particulars of your interest (if any) in the
land and name and address and
(b) a copy of a newspaper circulating in the
area in which notice of intention to apply
for
;the permission or approval has been
published or,
(c) a copy of a notice erected on the land
stating
that
planning
permission
or
approval is being sought.
When applying for an outline permission, you
should forward a plan or particulars sufficient to
enable
the planning authority to
identify
the
land and to determine the siting and layout of
the development you propose. In the case of a
new house, you need send only a section of the
Ordnance Sheet—or a tracing from it—on which
you have clearly marked the boundaries of the
site and the proposed location of the house. It is
desirable also to indicate what provision is being
made for water supply and sewerage disposal and
to know the position of the septic tank (if one is
necessary). More detailed plans will be required
when you apply for a full permission or for
approval after you have obtained an outline per
mission. These will include a site or layout plan,
drawings of floor plans, elevations and section,
water and sewage connections and detailed plans
of septic tank, if one is proposed. Normally you
should lodge these plans in duplicate, keeping
copies for yourself, but some planning authorities
may require more than two copies. Advice on
requirements may be obtained from the offices
of the planning authorities. Some of them have
devised special application forms
to
facilitate
applicants.
A planning authority must decide on a proper
ly made application for permission or approval
within two months from the date the application
is received; if they do not do so, they are deemed
to have made a decision to grant the application.
If they decide to grant your application (either
with or without conditions) they notify you.
If you consider that any conditions proposed
are too onerous, you can appeal against them.
The appeal must reach the Department of Local
Government within
the period of one month,
beginning on the day on which you receive notifi
cation of the planning authority's decision. In the
same way, you can appeal within a month if the
planning authority have refused permission. The
letter of appeal should be addressed to the Min
ister for Local Government, Custom House,
Dublin, and should state your reasons for the
appeal.
If the local authority decide to grant you per
mission, remember that other people can appeal
against the decision — for instance, a neighbour
may appeal on the grounds that the development
you propose would adversely affect his property.
Where such an appeal is made, it has to be de
termined by the Minister and you cannot start
work unless and until the Minister decides to
reject the appeal and to grant the permission or
approval you have sought.
If there is no appeal against a decision to grant
permission, the actual grant of permission will be
issued by the planning authority as soon as pos
sible after the expiration of the appeal period,
that is, one month.
Until you received this docu
ment, the development is not authorised and work
cannot be commenced.
If you buy a house on an Estate
If you are buying a house on an estate develop
ed by a building firm, planning permission will
already have been obtained by the developers and
you will not have to seek permission yourself.
Nevertheless, in your own interests, you should
find out the terms of the planning permission
granted, and satisfy yourself that your house
complies with the permission granted and that
adequate guarantees exist
for the
satisfactory
completion of the estate in accordance with the
plans.
The problem of "unfinished" housing
estates has arisen partly because house-purchasers
failed to satisfy
themselves that the developer
was legally committed to complete the develop
ment properly. While the Planning Act of 1963
conferred strong powers on planning authorities
to see
that housing estates are properly com
pleted in the future, you are still responsible for
satisfying yourself in advance that the estate de
veloper has assumed clear responsibility for the
proper completion of the estate and that he can,
if necessary, be forced to complete it.
If you want to reconstruct or extend your
house
Reconstruction work is exempted from plan-
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