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The Sunday Business Post reports that Clare is the
worst county in Ireland to live if you’re looking for planning
permission, architects have claimed.
The Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (RIAI) said
its survey of members revealed that the Banner county had
lowest levels of satisfaction with planners.
Clare County Council has rubbished the claims, insisting
its own recent in-house customer survey showed the general
public were happy with 70% of its services.
The RIAI said that Sligo County Council had the highest rating
when it came to satisfaction levels with the planning process.
Eight out of 10 architects polled believe that planning decisions
taken in councils around the country do not support good design.
Sean Ó Laoire, President of the RIAI, also complained
that planning practices varied wildly from one local authority
to another.
“This lack of consistency is wasting the resources of architects
who have lodged planning applications, as well as that of
the local authorities themselves” - he said. “The survey results
show that we are not in a position to deliver quality in the
built environment with current planning practices”.
Mr Ó Laoire said that architects were frustrated by
barriers to communicating with council planners.
However, John Bradley, a senior planner with Clare County
Council, dismissed RIAI concerns that planners regularly have
no architectural qualifications. “Most councils have very
experienced and very dedicated staff” - he said. “Any staff
member that comes into our organisation, certainly as a planner,
has to have very high technical qualifications, which are
determined by the Department of Local Government.”
Most planners would have two degrees - plus a Masters degree
- as well as other specialist qualifications in heritage,
conservation and archaeology, he added.
Mr Bradley insisted that Clare County Council had taken great
strides to make its planning service available to the public
through guides, the internet and planning clinics. “Clare
County Council is very much customer orientated” - he said.
Source - The Sunday Business Post
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