'Change the rules to allow once-off houses near Adare', says Limerick councillor

AN ATTEMPT is to be made to change the Limerick development plan to allow the construction of once-off houses in the countryside near Adare.

As things stand, no stand-alone developments are permitted outside the village.

This is in contrast to other parts of Limerick where landowners are able to build their own homes within a 10km radius of towns and villages if they satisfy certain criteria.

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Key among this is that they grew up in the locality.

But Adare is not subject to these rules, and Cllr Bridie Collins, who is also a businesswoman in the village is bidding to take the rare step of changing the development plan, which governs what can be built and where.

She says the current rules are “discriminatory” to young people who grew up in the area and want to stay local.

“There is a clear deficit for the people of Adare. If you can’t afford to live in the village, you won’t be able to live outside,” Cllr Collins said.

The Fianna Fail member faces an uphill battle to have the development plan changed to allow the building of once-off housing.
She needs to secure a three-quarters majority of the council - so if there is a full chamber, that means she’d need the support of 29 other councillors.

“I know it’s not going to be an easy thing to get it into the County Development Plan, but this is our role, to try and make changes to see where there is a deficit,” she said.

Cllr Collins admitted the issue had not come up often.

But with the average house price in Adare topping half a million euro, she believes there are enough people who would not be able to get on the housing ladder in the village.

The next best option is being close, she adds.

Adare is classed as a level four settlement in the local development plan, a designation which means that development outside the village is not allowed.

“It is my absolute belief that somebody within a level four settlement if they’ve managed to find themselves a site outside the village, and they have a clear housing need, they should be able to get permission to build on that site,” Cllr Collins said.

She says she has already seen examples of would-be homeowners being told by council they will not get permission for a one-off development due to the designation.

A number of other villages in Limerick also have the same designation.