Council refuse planning to farmer who wanted shed for vintage tractors

County planners said that there were other storage sheds on the North Galway property and to allow another would constitute over-development on the site.

But the applicant argued that his home was located in an area where there were one-off dwellings and farmland. To the rear of the proposed development was agricultural land and a slatted house.

It is also contended that a garage on the site is used to store the family car and other small items while stables on the farm are used to for horses that the applicant keeps.

The shed on the farm will also be used for the storage or domestic fuel such as turf, timber and an oil tank. The family home is headed by solid fuel.

But last December county planners refused permission for the partially constructed shed to Jim Heverin at Curryeighter, Cummer on the grounds that it would be an “intrusive development” that would detract from the rural character of the area.

They said that it would result in an overdevelopment of a rural residential site and pointed out that there were two other storage sheds on the property.

“To permit the development would seriously injure the privacy and residential amenities and depreciate the value of the adjacent property “, it was stated in the planning refusal.

But agents on behalf of Mr. Heverin said that sheds of this scale are common place in a farming environment. They said that there were other similar storage facilities located to the rear of other dwellings in the same area.

Architects for the applicant told An Bord Pleanala that the building was single storey that would be at the rear of a two storey house and that there were no objections from any neighbours.

There were three letters of support from immediately adjoining neighbours to the development while it was also intended to plant native trees around the shed so as to not impact on the rural character of the area.

It was also argued that the storage shed could not be considered over-development as it would be located on a large site with ample parking and would be located in an established farming environment.

The applicant was also willing to reduce the height of the shed if need be. It was also contended that the applicant’s vintage tractor and solid fuel was currently being stored in the open as there was no room in the existing garage. This was another reason for the necessity of the storage shed.

A decision on the planning appeal will be known around the middle of June.