Kerry council urged ‘not to stand for’ TII objections after hotel denied planning application

By Alastair Tibbs, The Kerryman

Kerry County Council has been urged “not to stand for” Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s objections to planning applications after the agency shot down a hotel’s plans in south Kerry.

Councillor Johnny Healy-Rae said anyone attempting developments on national secondary roads should “forget about it” after staff accommodation plans were denied permission.

At a recent meeting, Cllr Healy-Rae urged the council to write to the environment minister regarding what he claimed was Transport Infrastructure Ireland’s (TII) policy of “objecting to all plannings on National Secondary Roads”.

He cited a case of a hotel in Waterville whose owners had applied for planning permission to convert a B&B into staff accommodation but had been refused following a submission from the TII.

He said the hotel had even organised for a minibus to ferry staff between their accommodation and workplace.

“We know what a job is worth in Waterville and how hard it is to create one there,” he said.

“We’re forever here trying to do our best…and yet we have state body objecting to a planning application in an existing B&B to turn it into staff accommodation and keep them working.”

Cllr Healy-Rae claimed other companies employing people around the Ring of Kerry would also be rejected for planning permission for any development on the national secondary road.

He demanded a TII deputation to attend a council meeting, exhorting the council “not to stand for it”.

“I find it absolutely unbelievable that you could have a blanket policy for anything. There are no two situations the same, there are no two people the same,” he said.

“Anyone that wants to develop anything now on a national secondary, forget about it. So we’re flying by the seat of our plans hoping it will work out. Nonsense.”

Councillor Maura Healy-Rae seconded the motion, adding that the issue had been going on for decades.

“Its absolute lazy legislation – object, object, object – just because it’s on a national secondary road it’s shot down completely,” she said.

“It all comes back to planning. If you don’t have planning, you won’t have people, it’s as simple as that.”

The council replied that this was a matter for consideration by the councillors.

Kerry County Council recently refused permission for the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) to build a new nature education centre in Killarney National Park, saying they were “not satisfied that the proposed development would not give rise to a traffic hazard” on the N71, amongst other reasons.

A TII submission said “insufficient data” had been submitted to prove there would be no impact on the “capacity, safety or operational efficiency of the national road network”.

The agency said the application did not appear to have been subject to any safety assessment and suggested alternative access arrangements be explored via the established access to Killarney National Park.

“The proposal in its current format, if approved, could create an adverse impact on the national road and would be at variance with national policy in relation to control of frontage development on national roads and safeguarding road user safety,” they said.