strange new Parking Condition

[YoungGun]

Hello,
I would appreciate any help or suggestions.
I applied for planning permission for a friend to change their front garden boundary wall which currently has just a small pedestrian gate and low (1m approx) walls to a predominantly gated and piered boundary. In addition to this we changed the garden from what is currently mostly grass with a small path to being 2/3 gravel and 1/3 a planted area to facilitate parking for 2 or 3 cars. Pretty much all the neighbours have done the same on this road of small terraced houses, and presumably most did not seek permission.
We received permission to change the boundary however a condition was to only allow car parking for one car of no more then 5m by 3m of permeable hard landscaping. THis seems so strange seeing as you are exempt from planning permission for up to two cars and given the precedent in the area of people changin their gardens to hard landscaped areas to park their cars securely.
Has anyone heard of this happening recently?
Should I advise them to appeal to an bord pleanala or to go ahead and only provide for one car.
Any help or suggestions would be much appreciated,
Thank you!

[notjim]

I have to say that I am pleased the council is tighening its policy in this regard; car parking destroys the coherence of the street line and encouraging car ownership, even multiple car ownership, is bad.

[YoungGun]

Hi notjim,
In general I totally agree with you, but in this case it's not a street of any architectural merit, it's not a historical area and pretty much everyone else on the road provided parking, and probably without permission. This area isn't particularly well served by public transport and is too far out for people to walk/cycle into town to work etc.
I was hoping for some planning advice to give these people who can't understand why they've been refused something that we had thought was exempt (ie. no more than 2 parking spaces)
Has this officially changed?

[IrishPlanner88]

The Following Link may prove useful. I am unsure as to whether parking within the cutilage of a house is exempted development. Yet the following list on wicklow coco's website may provide some answers.
Regards.

[IrishPlanner88]

Sorry here is the link,
http://www.wicklow.ie/publications/Planning/Schedule%202-%20Planning%20Reg%202001.pdf

[LOB]

I'm not sure which Local Authority this relates to but in the Dublin City Council Development plan
Chapter 15 -Development standards, Car parking is set out in table 15.1
http://www.dublincity.ie/development_plan/15.pdf