Does everyone have to pay €20 to make an objection?

I think that’s just life; you don’t say what your development is – even though surrounding owners may not object (inertia?), anyone with a legitimate PLANNING objection can do so. Most objections on traffic grounds, ‘gangs’ etc. are spurious, but the planning authority needs to note them anyway, and a councillor will, in any system, always have to be heard.
It may seem like a low blow to you, but developers are not above bribery, intimidation, even physical violence towards anyone exercising their democratic right to object. An anonymous objector may seem like hard cheese, but that’s partly because of the ‘public’ nature of the system. My advice to you is to keep in close touch with the relevant planner and, if the objections are in any way valid, deal with them.
One of the main problems with the planning system, both here and where you are, is that it’s become ossified and really too hidebound by legalities and out-of-date procedures; third-party appeals and objections are frustrating. In this technological age, there is nothing to beat face-to-face discussion, assuming that you can tear everyone away from their computers for long enough. Perhaps some Irish planners would care to give us a critique of your system.

Thanks for the reply John.

I decided to google this particular councillor and her objections and support are many and varied (however always a 2 line hand written scrawl). I found many other councillors also make such representations without paying the fee. Interestingly the local TDs (same as your MPs) for the area seem to submit the €20 with their observations. Perhaps the law allows local coincillors to make observations FOC.

The local councillors however do NOT have the right to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanala unless they have paid the fee.

The best thing I discovered was that the planners disagreed with this particular councillor in 16 out of 20 cases! Perhaps she’ll help my case (I imagine planners get p!ssed off with these politicians trying to interfere in the planning process).

as far as i am aware councillors have the right to make representations on a file as in “i support this application” or otherwise but do not have any further entitlement to make any observations without paying a €20 fee – they don’t have the right to appeal an application after making a representation. The planner will most likely give little regard to the content of a representation and make his or her recommendation based on the planning issues.

Planners do get frustrated with the lobbying of local representatives and the power that they can wield but the planner involved is unlikely to make a recommendation out of spite for the councillor

Hi all, quick follow up to this debacle.

Planning was eventually refused after additional information was sought and was not satisfactorily dealt with it seems. The “architect” was unreachable and has been ever since.

Since then, we (the potential tenant and ourselves as landlords) have found an RIAI architect who has a track record of getting PP for this type of development (fast food from retail change of use) on the case and a new application has been submitted. If we get it we get it, if not, we’ll chalk it down to experience and move on.

We encountered the same objections from 2 councillors this time. However, we decide to tackle them head on and met with the councillors. It turns out they both received telephone calls from a business that believe it will be threatened by the development. One councillor has since withdrawn his objection, rather embarrased that he was hoodwinked by the complainant, the other has vowed to do the same by this afternoon. What do you guys think the planners will make of all this nonsense?

“What do you guys think the planners will make of all this nonsense? “

The Planner will not really care either way. The Planners are used to this type of “clientelist” nonsense from the Councillors and take it is their stride. I think there is a tacit understanding between Councillors and Planner that the “two line objection without any fee” is simply window dressing for constituents and both sides know it will be, in practice, ignored.

The only people who think it is of significance are the instigator of the letter and the more neurotic type of applicant.

Cheers, was hoping that would be the case. If it’s turned down again we’ll stick in an appeal to ABP and see how it goes. It seems to be very hit and miss in the county as to whether you’ll get it or not, and ABP have given a couple where the council has refused so there’s always hope until they say “no deal”.

I have found one example in the same county, granted last year, which is almost identical to us (both zoned residential, both with established estate just behind and to the side, both having had a previous late night use, both having no objections from the residences adjacent) EXCEPT his neighbours’ property is even closer to him than ours are to us, and he has residential property directly arcoss the road from him, whereas we have a public park across from us, no buildings whatsoever. His was also 5 mins walk from the next takeaway of the same type, ours is 20 mins walk to the next one.

Can one cite a (very) similar example from the same county when going to ABP as a justification for a grant of permission? I know each site has to be assessed on it’s own merits but the two sites are REALLY similar with the same things taken into account by the manager when he made his order the last time.

Cheers for the input everyone.