Impact of the Construction Sector downturn on the Planning Bureaucracy

[orbit]

ALL forward planning was farmed out to consultants at exorbitant fees

I know of one case, where a local area plan was paid for by the main landowner/developer in the area (or so he claimed at a public meeting). As it happens there wasn't anything particularly wrong with the plan, and of course it had to be overseen by the planners and the councillors. But it's not exactly the way things should be done.

[Endoftheworldasweknowit]

Just a wild guess from me - the number of applications for planning permission must have dropped at least 70% from the peak. I'd say that 7 out of 10 government staff involved in processing these applications are now getting paid for playing computer games or ball scratching at work.

I would have thought there's plenty of planning enforcement to keep them away from the computer games! There's plenty of applications for retention now to be processed which the cowboys overlooked in their haste to avoid regulation!

[alonso]

Yes, good piont the EotWawki... Enforcement has collapsed in this country in its entirety since 2001, and before. If there's one thing needed in a recession it's enforcement as many will regard consideration for the environment and one's neighbours as a greater burden than before.

Orbit, that's quite common. A landowner hires a consultant, draws up a "framework plan", a development plan or LAP is then made saying the land will be "developed according to a framework plan" - hey presto we'v already got one, job done, permission granted, in come the bulldozers, out goes the East MEath coastline, the Liffey Valley SAC, rural Ireland etc etc etc

[kaiser-will]

Oh these guys cant be sacked thats the beauty of the Public Sector, they can now hide in the system and who pays their wages? We mugs do.. Little hitlers, planning?? They couldnt plan a kids birthday party. Oh dont start me on the planners, I could write a novel on the useless tools

Would you avail of the tax exwmptions afforded to authors, as will Bertie for his upcoming autobiography.

[atlantic]

These planners look after their builder mates,while the small fella gets shafted and robbed,change this ,change that,you can't put up this,take that back down ,change the plans ,reenter them again, by the time they finish with ya you'll be lucky to have any money to start the house.A bunch of bullies.

[Finbar10]

I remember a few years back when all newly employed PS workers were taken on on a 'temporary' basis - some of them were 'temporary' for years, and they were giving out ding-dong about this.

Are they still temporary? Does anybody have a clue how many 'temporary' positions there are, and will these 'temporary' positions now be done away with?

If a person has been on temporary contracts in the same position for four years or more, the employer is legally required to offer them a permanent contract. Four years seems to be the cutoff point in Irish employment law. I know two people in my local authority who have been employed just under four years (one for about 3.5 years, the other for maybe only a month less than the four years) and they are both being left go. The one with less than a month to go is desperately trying to see if they can make up the gap with holiday entitlements etc. but still narrowly falls short. I think they are both pretty unlucky. If the **** hadn't hit the fan for another six months they'd both now be permanent. Seems the local authority is at the moment cutting all the temporary positions that it can.

[selfemployedmar]

Would you avail of the tax exwmptions afforded to authors, as will Bertie for his upcoming autobiography.

No why should anyone in this country avail of tax exemption, its disgraceful, I also agree with minimum wage people paying tax, as the minimum wage is high in Ireland. €346 per wk is a good decent wage

[atlantic]

Why should anyone be taxed on their income,we are paying enough indirect taxes to keep this country if could minimize government and waste.

No why should anyone in this country avail of tax exemption, its disgraceful, I also agree with minimum wage people paying tax, as the minimum wage is high in Ireland. €346 per wk is a good decent wage

[orbit]

Orbit, that's quite common. A landowner hires a consultant, draws up a "framework plan", a development plan or LAP is then made saying the land will be "developed according to a framework plan" - hey presto we'v already got one, job done, permission granted, in come the bulldozers, out goes the East MEath coastline, the Liffey Valley SAC, rural Ireland etc etc etc

I was a bit surprised by it, because I've seen situations where landowners will hire consultants to draw up such fancy plans and they submit these publicly as part of the consultation process for LAPs or county dev. plans. That's all above board, and nothing wrong with it. But this is different, it indicates an amount of behind the scenes wheeling and dealing. Who knows what kind of quid-pro-quo is being agreed?

It's not corruption (they'd hardly be announcing it at a public meeting if it was), but it lacks transparency, and you can see how it could easily lead to corruption.

[alonso]

These planners look after their builder mates,while the small fella gets shafted and robbed,change this ,change that,you can't put up this,take that back down ,change the plans ,reenter them again, by the time they finish with ya you'll be lucky to have any money to start the house.A bunch of bullies.

Brilliant. Well done. You haven't a ******************************g clue.