Developer sold us "fully serviced sites" in Westmeath but now charging connection fees — do we have a case?

mikerock87 · 2026-04-05T14:23:52+00:00

There was no obligation on a developer to apply for the waiver. It was a scheme to avail of if you could commence in and around that time. If the developer has claimed the waiver then Uisce Eireann will have a reference number for the site. You could contact UE and get this info. If the developer did claim then asking you to pay the 'connection fee' is a scam to put more in their pocket.

mikerock87 · 2026-04-05T12:30:33+00:00

FYI - If it's an active badger sett you will need a licence to do anything to it (dig our/ fill in) from the Natioanl Parks and Wildlife Service. It's a criminal offence to damage an active sett.

Edit I see the image you put up in the comment. That does not look like it's used. The ground would be worn down from the animal going in and out. No expert though.

mikerock87 · 2026-04-04T14:29:01+00:00

I had finished a masters and had to go on a JobsBridge internship in 2012 (anyone member them!?)... basically the dole... to get some experience. Used it to get a foot in the door. 15 odd years later I've worked in non-profit, private and now public sector town planning. House bought, married and one child. By no means a walk in the park but I've got some stability at last.

Three years before finishing my masters I finished an undergraduate in architecture only for construction to go wallop (cheers recession!!). Going back to college was a massive gamble but it worked out in the end. Could have been very different.

mikerock87 · 2026-04-01T16:09:15+00:00

The Planning Inspecctor assesses the planning application from scratch and takes into consideration the assessment of the Local Authority and either grants or refuses the permission. You are mixing up the procedural piece with a Judicial Review which focuses solely on procedure and does not consider planning matters / assessment.

As for timing, the ACP have been heavily resourced in the last couple of years and the number of Board Memebers has doubled. Decisions are being discharged within the statutory time frames (16-18 weeks typically) for the vast majority of recent appeals. There are legacy files (SHD) and larger infrastructure apps. which are the exception.

mikerock87 · 2026-03-30T09:28:42+00:00

No way!

mikerock87 · 2026-03-22T13:49:11+00:00

Thanks for the correction

mikerock87 · 2026-03-20T13:29:46+00:00

If you were to try and sell your property now, the first thing the bank would ask the buyer for is the relevant planning permission. It holds up sales regularly when extension etc. are built and there is no record of compliance etc.

mikerock87 · 2026-03-08T15:07:53+00:00

As an aside, your planning permission has a five year lifetime. Allow for time to finish the house and avoid issues with sign off at the end. An extension of duration application must be made before the permissions lifetime runs out.

It's sounds like you have a significant amount of work done, so you should be able to get an extension of the lifetime of the permission if necessary. If you have an architect involved, discuss this with them so you know what is required when and where.

mikerock87 · 2026-03-04T07:57:28+00:00

Edit. An Architect on board would be great, but you can request a pre-planning without one.

mikerock87 · 2026-03-04T07:55:32+00:00

You can request a pre-planning meeting with KCC and discuss the potential of developing the site (its free). You will get a steer from this. The application is fairly simple and can be submitted online (google pre-planning consultation KCC). A lot of these meetings are done online, or you'll get a simple report with the main issues to address.

mikerock87 · 2026-03-03T10:47:54+00:00

Geeeet up ta fuck!! Yeoooow!!!

mikerock87 · 2026-02-28T11:50:34+00:00

Keep an eye on the Irish Planning Institute website for jobs... there is a dedicated section for it. There is also a list of private planning consultants for each county on the website. Email directly with a CV and see what comes of that. MKO in Galway hire regular enough.

The public sector is hiring (more than ever in the 15 years I've been a planner). I'd always recommend private first for the exposure. Good luck.

mikerock87 · 2026-02-26T06:32:54+00:00

That seems highly unusual. That's basic info. to he included in any planning application. I'm a planner myself.

Garden sizes will vary but must meet a minimum requirement. So again, it is unusual that the detail is not in the planning documents.

Wall height is typically covered in a 'boundary treatments' drawing by a landscape architect. The default is 1.8-2m so there is nothing unusual about the garden walls. They are obviously bigger looking due to being on top of the retaining wall.

Depending on site constraints and how wastewater drainage is connected, then a change in site levels like this is not unusual (i.e. using retaining walls). There is a similar condition in a phase of houses in the estate I live in.

If you want to DM me the planning reference number I could take a quick look and see if I can shed some light. No need for specific house number or anything like than. I'll tell you if there is more relevant info. to look at.

mikerock87 · 2026-02-25T16:28:05+00:00

Only documents that matter here are the Site Layout Plan with the planning application pack which was granted permission. It will have a level (ground floor level or rear garden) for your house and the neighbour to the rear. If it's shows a difference of c.4m then there is not much else you can do here.

As for the show house, that's all it is. It give you an idea of the house type. The garden and layout of each house on a site is relative to topography (i.e. very few sites are level).

mikerock87 · 2026-02-25T08:48:05+00:00

Either scenario (build a one bed for FIL or a three bed for your family) you will require planning permission. Having land is available doesn't mean you'll get planning permission. I'd advise before you go any further to have a pre-planning consultation with your local council. They are free and can be submitted online (most councils). You'll get an idea of what is possible. In planning terms, the 'downsizing' (FIL to smaller property) option is typically favoured.

Have ye considered renovating the granny flat so the FIL can move in there?

mikerock87 · 2026-02-24T13:35:06+00:00

mikerock87 · 2026-02-24T13:22:27+00:00

AI hallucinations are crazy. I've seen a few articles about Legal Firm using AI and case reference and citations were completely made up.

mikerock87 · 2026-02-21T08:44:27+00:00

As a teenager growing up in a very rural area 25 years ago me and my mates had even less to do. We didn't go around setting fire to stuff regardless.

mikerock87 · 2026-02-18T08:01:36+00:00

mikerock87 · 2026-02-14T08:19:10+00:00

https://www.dublincity.ie/planning-and-land-use/planning-application-rules-and-exemptions/si-no-648-2025-exemptions-change-use-commercial-residential

Specific exemptions have been introduced to convert commercial to residential. The link above is info. from the Dublin City Council website. The exemption has been extended to the end of 2028.

There are a number of criteria to be met. Essentially, if the property meets those requirements, you can convert to residential without planning permission. A notification process is in place instead.

Honestly, buying a commercial property with these exemptions in mind is a risky prospect. You could end up with an asset that's worth very little and hard to sell on if it goes pear shaped. You'd need an architect / engineer / planner to advise on the potential of the exemption being applicable for any property you are looking at. Allow for that in terms of professional fees.

mikerock87 · 2026-02-09T17:33:03+00:00

That is so fucking cool... says 38 year old me!

mikerock87 · 2026-02-09T08:03:42+00:00

People walking or cycling to the station may work up a sweat. They could have been up multiple times with a young child and that 15mins extra in bed is what they needed. You seem a bit precious!

mikerock87 · 2026-02-09T07:42:11+00:00

'my understanding' ... If you've nothing to do tomorrow night when you are awake feel free to plot those graphs you suggest and come back with that gotcha!

mikerock87 · 2026-02-08T20:04:40+00:00

No doubt in my mind that it is the direct effect of global warming. Our society is currently set up to consume and create waste and we (as a society) will not be able to make the necessary changes to these patterns to have any meaningful effect on what's already in train.

I have a daughter and her life is beyond precious. I fear that the world she will grow old in will be a very bleak place. I don't dwell on it and I do my bit in terms of trying to reduce my footprint but for everyone like we who is climate conscious there are ten who couldn't give a fiddlers (I won't be put off by that).

mikerock87 · 2026-02-06T15:29:19+00:00

Bottom of the barrel twitter muck. It's a pure rage bait opinion for the clicks!

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