Introduction
The purpose of this paper is to evaluate involvement of the planners is the development design during pre-planning and planning design stages. In order to achieve this, firstly, I will briefly outline the intention of Irish planning system and the purpose of the pre-planning consultations.
Subsequently, through examining three situations from my recent experience I’m going to explicate planners’ various reasons of modifying proposed developments and explore on what basis these observations and conditions were made. Consequently, I’m going to summarize how these changes were dealt on behalf of the applicants, what impacts had planners’ decisions on these projects in general, and I will briefly outline what might have been done …show more content…
It was introduced as the Section 247 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (amended) and allowed potential applicants, who intended to make a planning application, to appoint a representative from the local planning authority for a formal consultation prior to submission of the planning application. Although, such advice can be used formally in neither the planning application process nor in the final planning application decision, it provides professional objective advice in relation to proposed development and it can raise more or less obvious issues that may negatively affect eventual future planning decision. There are many advantages of such pre-planning advice. The planner can inform the client of the planning authority’s policies in relation chosen particular area by the applicant, suggest alterations to proposed development in order to meet all legal planning regulations and reduce risks long lasting appeal processes. (Irish Statute Book, …show more content…
It has been stated that there is a high potential of overlooking the neighboring properties and private gardens, and consequently it could have an impact on the final decision on the planning granting. It was noted that proposed windows did not satisfy the objectives of section 10.4.1.5 of the Tuam Local Area Plan 2011-2017, which refers to privacy and overlooking guidelines. Similarly it was supported by section 7.4 of ‘Guidelines for Planning Authorities on Sustainable Residential Development in Urban Areas’, which defines importance of the privacy and security within residential amenities. (Environment, Heritage and Local Government, 2009) Although it would be impossible to extend the distance between opposing first floor windows or to omit them in totality, through their careful detailed design, as pointed out by the planners, it would help to prevent overlooking side-to side distances. In order to satisfy planners’ requirements, the privacy of the neighboring sites and houses of the subject site were ensured by introducing opaque/ translucent glass to the first floor windows that faced both side boundaries. In this example, the planner was greatly involved in directing and modifying the design of the proposal, and although it was made in a good faith in order to grant the permission, introducing translucent glazing