Aontú Clare representative June Dillon has hit out at the government’s planning policies, saying rural families are being “zoned out of their own lives.”
Speaking after hearing from several families over a number of months, who were denied permission to build on family land along the N68, Dillon said the system is punishing people for wanting to stay close to home.
“Young couples are desperate for a home near family, but one line on a map can crush that dream. In a so-called housing emergency, that’s not policy, it’s punishment.”
Dillon spoke to families who told her a directive signed by Minister Kieran O’Donnell in 2023, based on advice from the National Transport Authority and Planning Regulator, ties the council’s hands. Even when permission is granted locally, Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) can swoop in and block it. There are several national secondary roads in Clare affected by such regulation including the N67, N68 and N85.
“Local councils, who know the roads and know the families, say yes—but faceless officials in Dublin slam the door shut. It’s not planning; it’s power without accountability.”
June Dillon cited a case from Lisseycasey, where a family got county council approval to build on their farm but Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) objected. A full road safety audit was carried out by the family but An Bord Pleanala upheld the objection. The site was near a 60km/h zone in a village—yet still deemed unsuitable. Frustration is compounded for planning applicants by the lack of communication from bodies such as TII and An Bord Pleanála.
One such applicant said “There is no common sense, and no fact finding by these organisations . One reason we were refused planning was because the TII wanted to avoid creation of a new access point onto the main road, but we already had two existing entrances to use.”
Having also spoken with private sector engineers, Dillon stated the logic is inconsistent, with refusals issued even when visibility and safety are solid.
“If safety is the issue, fix the roads. Don’t punish families trying to build where they were born and raised.Where are the solutions for those affected?”
Dillon is calling for urgent reforms to give more power to local councils over road-related housing decisions. “It’s time to trust the people who actually live in the community. Councillors are elected and answerable to the people. If councillors make a call to the detriment of the people the people get the say if they should remain in their position, not unelected quangos,” she said.
She criticised An Bord Pleanála for being part of the same problem: a centralised planning machine that lacks both transparency and accountability. “Peadar Tóibín, our party leader and an elected TD, has repeatedly requested a meeting with An Bord Pleanála and has been ignored. What hope does an ordinary family have, if even a TD can’t get them to face the public?”
Recent figures show a 20% drop in planning permissions in the county last year. One-off houses—vital for rural life—are being squeezed, even as the government shouts about trying to solve the housing crisis. It’s a two-faced policy. All red tape and no green lights.”
Ms Dillon also raised questions over the high cost of applying. “If families are paying €3,000 per planning application, often for nothing, where is that money going? Into the black hole of bureaucracy? That’s not a housing policy—it’s a housing penalty.” “Some applying for planning are facing charges for the planning application, for appeals, for engineering redesign, and assessments to assert issues such as road safety.”
In closing, Dillon called for urgent reform saying: “Let families build where they belong. Let planners plan with common sense. And let the Government parties stop pretending this system is working—it isn’t. Clare deserves better. Rural Ireland deserves better. Many families do not have alternative sites to build on and so are put under enormous pressure to find alternative arrangements. Rural Ireland needs families building locally, working locally, schooling locally and spending locally to keep it alive and vibrant. And Aontú will keep fighting to make that happen.”