A rule that prohibits
non-locals from building one-off houses in rural
areas of Inishowen was deemed illegal yesterday by
the European Commission.
Donegal and Wicklow are among 22 counties who
introduced the 'locals only' clause in their
development plans in a bid to curtail unsustainable
one-off builds in the countryside and along the
coast.
The landmark ruling will now put pressure on local
authorities to remove the clause from their county
development plans.
The Commission has written to the Department of the
Environment asking it to show how the indigenous
clause is not discriminatory or in breach of
internal market rules.
The Donegal County Development Plan currently
defines members of the indigenous rural community
as: family members from established farming, land
owning and non-land owning rural households;
returned emigrants originally from the area and new
rural dwellers working in the rural area.
The axing of the controversial planning guideline
will allow people with no familial connection to the
peninsula to set up permanent or temporary homes
here while also allowing developers to build houses
in any location and sell them to anyone who wants to
buy.
Local estate agent, Leo McCauley, previously told
InishowenNews.com that the lifting of the rule would
result in a "multi-million euro bonanza" for the
peninsula's construction industry. |
