'Vexatious' planning appeals delaying farm building works

Delays in planning permission for on-farm building works in Co Tipperary are being caused by “serial objectors”, local councillors and farmers heard at a South Tipperary IFA meeting last Wednesday.

IFA South Tipperary chair Pat Carroll said the meeting heard that “practically all agri-planning objections in Tipperary are coming from one individual”.

Environmental activist Peter Sweetman confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal on Tuesday that he has been making submissions on farm applications in the county, saying he has “no idea” how many submissions he has made.

“I put Tipperary County Council in the same category or even worse than Kerry or Donegal – it simply doesn’t comply with the law,” Sweetman said.

“Every decision I got from them has been totally contrary to the law.”

Not anti-farmer

Sweetman maintained, as he has done previously, that he is not anti-farmer.

“I simply want county councils to comply with the Habitats Directive,” he said, “which requires a Natura Impact Statement if [the development] may have an effect [on a Special Area of Conservation]”.

Sweetman said his main concern in Co Tipperary is the possible impact of extra animals and extra slurry on the freshwater pearl mussel.

However Pat Carroll warned that planning delays have a much bigger knock-on effect than just the farmers involved.

“It doesn’t just affect the farmer, it affects the local digger driver, the local fabricator, the shed erector,” he explained.

“Certain works are required to be completed by farmers, so that they can abide by regulations.

“We want to highlight the fact that this is a wider problem than just farmers. It affects other people who work in rural areas, the rural economy,” said Carroll.

Mother attacked

Carroll outlined some of the planning objection cases that IFA members have contacted him about.

“I had one man contact me about a slatted shed and crush he wanted to put up that he got an objection to,” he said.

“That man told me his biggest problem wasn’t the slatted shed being delayed but the crush.

“His mother was attacked by a cow and he needs better facilities. Now [because of the objection delay], he’ll be lucky if he has it done for winter 2025.”

Another farmer needed to add a lean-to to a slatted shed to comply with the organic scheme.

IFA environment chair John Murphy has criticised the “vexatious nature of planning appeals that are disrupting farmers’ plans to upgrade their farms and make them more efficient”.