Dublin Opinion

WHAT shall I do with this absurdity -
O heart, O troubled heart - this caricature,

As I would question all, come all who can;
Come old, necessitous. half-mounted man;
And bring beauty’s blind rambling celebrant

W.B. Yeats – The Tower

Quick everyone, Paddy in Letterkenny needs advice. He has to build a tower in the middle of his 4500sq ft house type dwelling - which he sketched out on the back of an envelope - but the damn planners have turned him down - those crazy bureaucrats. Surely there must be something we can do?

Sez Paddy on the archiseek thread dating from last October:

“Have a site in Letterkenny just on the outskirts of the Town.
I have previously been approved for a house type on it in which I no longer want.
The new design is completely different…an ‘L’ shape with a tower dividing the ‘L’.
It is about 4500sq ft. in size. There is 2 maybe 3 house types the same around Letterkenny which were built last year. When i first spoke to the planner on the phone she said she didn’t see much of a problem at first. Since then they changed their tune completely and told me its too big and didn’t like the ‘ projection’ and didn’t fit in with the new planning guide lines’.
We are now stranded as we have put our hearts into this and can’t afford to have any more work done to the plans.

What can i do next? Can i fight this? Is it the donegal county council who have the last say?

Who can help me? I’ve tried the local councilors but without luck

Please Help

Paddy”

Soon enough the posters on the message board are piling on the questions and suggest that maybe, maybe he should contact an architect.

“Paddy - have you lodged an application? Are you talking about consultations you had prior to lodging an application? […]If you have had an application refused look for the planners report and seek your professionals help to lodge an appeal to ABP based on the contents of the planners report”

Another responds with similar advice but is forced to comment, as politely as possible:

“you should get your architect to come up with some new designs, in consultation with the planner…

and, while I would like to be as diplomatic as possible, the argument that you ‘cant afford to have anything more work done to the plans’ doesn’t sit well with me, seeing as you are proposing to build a 4500 sq ft dwelling…… which will probably cost you in the region of half a million Euro…..”

Paddy is having none of this. He’s a humble tradesman, not some tycoon. The money’s spent – no fancy architect can he afford. But damn it, he wants his tower!

“I have my own savings spent and broke untill my house gets sold which will pay for the construction. I am a block layer by trade and my father is a carpenter and brother a plasterer….with their help I should have this house built for a little under 300,000(finished)….don’t be under the illusion i am rolling in it.
Under a bit of pressure at the moment just.

Thanks all the same.

Are appeals successful?…Is it a lengthy process?
Does any of you know any websites where i can get ideas on an ‘L’ shaped design or any designs that resemble to the new guidelines?”

Maybe if he contacts your man on Channel 4 who does that program, what’s it called ‘Outlandish Designs’? Maybe he’d help.

Thanks to Michael B for the tip.