A Tipperary County Councillor is calling for a reasoned discussion on the situation regarding planning for modular homes.
There was a lengthy debate on the issue at the December meeting of the local authority with Sinn Féin representative David Dunne seeking a temporary planning permission for three months which would help with the housing shortage.
However Cahir based Andy Moloney says we first need define what a modular home is – he also highlighted a situation in his area where a family were refused permission.
“Can planning be achieved on the site of a modular home? That’s another big question because where there are issues where family members and sons and siblings have refused planning – that a portion of has been sold off as a result and then we have someone buying it speculatively and moving onto the site and building an unauthorized developments and getting approved. So there is a whole big discussion on modular homes and it can’t be just a populist discussion – we need to sit down and have a decent chat about it.”
Councillor Moloney says Tipperary County Council are obliged to follow up on any complaints in relation to illegal developments.
He says the implications for some people living in modular homes could be far reaching.
“If we go through the countryside and we start rooting out all modular homes and start putting people out of them through enforcement we’re going to have a land of nomads with people walking around the place. So a decent conversation has to be had and not a populist conversation that suits the ears of everybody. People are genuine cases, living in modular homes and they’ll be fine for ever more. But they’re not sustainable and if planning can be achieved, a temporary stay can be put on them – that shouldn’t be a problem. But where planning can’t be achieved because of the different issues that we have with ordinary planning well then we’re going to have issues.”
