Councillors want face-to-face planning meetings to return

INDEPENDENT Cllr Danny Collins has called on the Council to reinstate face-to-face pre-planning meetings for those hoping to build new homes.

Putting a motion before a full meeting of Cork County Council, Cllr Collins said: ‘Before Covid, the planners, the applicant, and the applicant’s engineer would schedule a face-to-face meeting to discuss the planning application.

‘This was a meeting where the proposed planning could be discussed, and any problems worked out face-to-face. However, since Covid, applicants are receiving phone calls outlining problems or the meeting must be online. We must get back to face-to-face meetings,’ Cllr Collins said.

Cllr Joe Carroll (FF) supporting the motion. ‘People looking for planning permission are going through years trying to build their home on their own land, we have to bring back face-to-face planning meetings so that the proposed construction can be fully examined,’ he said.

In a letter replying to Cllr Collins, Michael Lynch, director of services at the planning department, said that there is a dual option available for all planning applicants.

‘While the online pre-planning service continues to be an option made available by the planning authority, the in-person service is also available. However, it must be acknowledged that prospective applicants and their representatives/agents that seek an in-person meeting may experience longer waiting times relative to the online option, owing to logistics and ensuring all necessary Council personnel, and indeed the prospective applicant and their representative(s), are available to meet in person at a mutually convenient time and date.’

While Cllr Collins’ motion received full support from his fellow councilors, an amendment to the motion was proposed when Council chief executive Tim Lucey also pointed out that a dual system of online or face-to-face meetings is already in place and that he was not in favour of just having face-to-face pre-planning meetings.

‘There has been a significant increase in planning applications since Covid,’ he said.

‘Also, there are many pre-planning meetings where the quality of the information outlined is less than sufficient. If you go back to full in-person pre-planning meetings, this will slow things down even more.’