A local man will face Tipperary County Council in court this month over issues surrounding a log cabin erected on his family’s land.
Thomas Carberry from Carrick-on-Suir began living in a log cabin last year when he was unable to source other accommodations.
He says he sought planning permission from the council on numerous occasions but failed to receive a response and therefore proceeded with erecting the structure.
Thomas was denied retention planning twice, and had not heard from the council until this week, when he received a summons for court on June 21st for not removing the structure.
Speaking to Tipp Today, he says the only reason the log cabin was needed was because the council advised him he could be waiting 10-15 years for a property.
“I’ll avoid the court if it’s taken down, but if I take it down, they’ve offically made me homeless. I’ve lived and worked here most of my life and paid taxes, and I can’t keep a log cabin that’s there because the council couldn’t fulfill their duties of giving me a house, and now they want it removed, but if I came in from another country, it would be handed to me.”
Some of the reasons the council is ordering the demolition of the log cabin include substandard construction, but Thomas says they have never come to view the structure or carry out a report.
The council also claims Thomas is causing extra vehicular access on the main road, but he insists he has been using the same entrance for close to 30 years and questions how it’s only a problem now because of the structure.
Speaking on Tipp Today, he says the financial burden of going to court is also a stress factor.
“By the time I have a solicitor and fight this, whether I win or lose, it’s going to cost me money. By the time they’re finished, I won’t have a home, and I won’t have a penny. That’s not very good from our government. I’ll keep fighting this as far as I can, for as long as I can. If I don’t take it down, the council said they’ll take it down and they will send me on the costs.”
