Plans submitted in 2017, to be refused in 2022. Even without the crazy objections and refusal, a 5 year timeline to just to get planning approval for a housing estate is bad enough.
I agree, those timelines are far too long. One of the few good things about the new Planning & Development Bill is that it puts hard limits on these timelines for planning authorities. But the bigger issue is that the majority of planning approvals never are commenced by the applicants. The planning system is often used as a device of speculation.
The government added SHDs to An Bord Planaela’s workload and didn’t and wasn’t able to expand the capacity there. It was inevitably going to delay these applications and mean that ABP failed to meet its existing target timelines.
I did Planning & Sustainable Development in UCC for two years and you would nearly learn more in this video then an entire masters. Incredibly well done!!
@@Mpg972 This video is a brilliant example of the learning that can be achieved on RUclips. That being said, planners are trained to be critical thinkers in making policy or development decision's and that can only be achieved through college learning and academia.
The issue of concentrated costs and diffuse benefits is justified, but it is far from unique to Ireland. The video makes a good point about our weak Local Authorities. This is fairly unique to Ireland and a leading cause for many of our issues. Perhaps ask the candidates knocking on doors over the next few months how they are going to strengthen Local Authorities.
One of the reasons why the Residential Zoned Land Tax has land hoarders running scared. It will hopefully dislodge much development land out of speculation and into development.
That's for sure. As long as the tax keeps rolling in they don't really care too much. Anyone that can't see the money washing by various connected companies of government money have their head in the sand.
I’ve lived in 4 different western countries. Ireland works as well as all of them. Are there things that don’t work as well as they should? Of course, it’s the same in every country. Perfection isn’t really possible
I work as a planner in the private sector. As a 27 year old who cant rent due to price and lack of properties on offer, with a similar situation for buying, i genuinely believe that there are two sets of people in society, those who own houses and those who don't and your views on new builds depends on which side of the fence you're on. It will result in lower birth rates due to increased infantilisation of society, resulting in the need to increase immigration to cope with ageing population, which will continue to anger working class people. It is a downward spiral unless planning authorities grant more applications and ABP stops cowing to the 'contented class'.
I agree. I'm on the fence of non home owner. Home owners look down on people like me. I'm not saying all but I've encountered a lot of home owners smugness attitude. Especially the landlords with more than two properties.
I think the “infantilisation” thing is bandied about a bit too liberally. People are absolutely stuck and having those who could buy a house for 3x their yearly salary basically call them children because they can’t afford 12x their salary for a house is just adding insult to injury.
@@Dreyno It's not just about buying. It could be solved if people in their 20s could rent at a reasonable price and continue to save. It's not normal for people in their 30s to still be living at home not able to rent, nevermind buy. I haven't met a single person in the same situation as me who doesn't feel infantalisesd
@@ciarandineen4802 Infantilised means being treated as a child. Being a grown ass man who works, pays tax, votes etc. is not infantilised because they can’t afford a house. They just can’t afford a house. Unless they stay at home and have their parents meet their needs and have no income of their own, they are not being infantilised. Hell, multigenerational homes were the norm in Ireland and much of the western world until 50 years ago.
@@Dreynonot owning a house means not starting a family. So yeas it infantalises you. Your basically forever 21 in a bedsit . I'm a 40 year old 21 year old engaged to a 32 year old 21 year old. My life hasn't changed in 19 years . Most frustrating thing is I'm a carpenter. Ive spent all that time building houses.
It’s really heartbreaking to see how inflation and recession impact low-income families. The cost of living keeps rising, and many struggle just to meet basic needs, let alone save or invest. It’s a reminder of the importance of finding ways to create financial opportunities. You've helped me a lot sir Brian! Imagine i invested $50,000 and received $190,500 after 14 days
Some persons think inves'tin is all about buying stocks; I think going into the stock market without a good experience is a big risk, that's why I'm lucky to have seen someone like mr Brian C Nelson.
Can't thank you enough for these videos. While I live in Northern Ireland, it's great to have a detailed understanding of why housing is so bad in the Irish state. It's a great balance of being informative while also compact.
Informative as ever. Wish we could build (or at least try to build) city streets, parks, squares, terraces etc and not just soulless housing estates though.
Some of the developers and architects responsible for housing estates in Ireland should be deported. For every nicely planned estate with attractive houses, there’s 20 with ugly, disproportionate boxes lined up row after row. Houses with dormer roofs but windows that don’t go above the eave, weird hipped awning roofs over windows, houses with square, picture and vertical windows in the same aspect, driveways that a car doesn’t fit in, houses with their back to the main road, houses with a potentially nice view built in such a way that you cannot see the view from your house etc.
@@avancalledrupert5130 In Greystones they cost a fortune and are all the cheapest clones. For that price I just can't believe the cheek of not using 3-4 designs changes.
It's so sad to see Ireland in the state it is in, 30 years old, working a good job, absolutely no prospect in sight of moving out of the family home, as a single person, it is a travesty. I hope that we look back in shame at our current actions in the near future.
I love the point at the end of saying the objector's children could afford to move back to Kilarney if maybe they allowed the development. That's so true. Why are you still living with housemates in your late 20s?, then simultaneously preventing any new builds in your area kind of screws everyone including the NIMBYS whose children live an hour away and cant even afford to live alone.
One of the best irish RUclipsrs as well as real Engineering. Every video you posted is so well done. I often highlight to others that the planned system is the biggest driver for the poor supply of Housing. Galway city council is a great example of this. It's probably the worst run Council in Ireland. Their is even a noticeable difference between the city council and country country in regards of planning. I've also highlighted that a distance limit for a new development for objections should be brought in max 10km from a development should be brought in.
I take it you’ve never been to Sligo then? They spent the boom years putting housing estates in surrounding villages meaning people commuting in to a town choking on traffic. No public transport available from some of them. Their planning is legendary for its utter idiocy. Suffice to say, Sligo town hasn’t had a public toilet for two decades and they still draw a salary.
@@Dreyno well did Sligo spend between 60 and 70 million on a new office that isn't ready yet and say the current office is more suitable or €250,0000 on a 2 benches that nobody uses?
@@diarmaidmoloney5611 They bought a self cleaning toilet and spent almost two decades paying for it to be stored in Dublin. Almost 250k and not a pot to piss in. They eventually sold it. They also allowed almost no building in the town during the Celtic Tiger years. Sligo town has grown by about 25% in the last 50 years. Meanwhile Letterkenny has grown by 500% in that time. What they did do is give planning for numerous housing estates 10-30km from town with zero public transport but didn’t bother upgrading the roads to them. Villages that had populations of 500 are now 3X as big and there isn’t a line on the road to them. There was a problem with people loitering and drinking on benches along the river so they pulled them up before locals protested and they had to return them. They got into a lengthy court battle with two barristers about land access which they promptly lost having racked up huge legal bills. Oh, and they attempted to site a landfill dump in Europe’s largest megalithic cemetery. After a six year legal battle in which locals remortgaged their houses to fight, the lost in the Supreme Court. They also built a “bypass” right through the town. When some councillors objected, they commissioned a report which then stated that by the time they were due to start constructing it, it would already be several years out of date. They built it anyway. Also, a previous county manager didn’t “believe” in roundabouts. Just some of their lowlights.
Oh, and part demolished a historic prison to locate a fire station in the most inaccessible part of the town that the fire brigade struggle to get out of when there’s any sort of traffic.
Even with powers returned to local authorities what incentive do they have to develop more housing? Housing puts pressure on local services, requires road, sewage and water upgrades, causes increased traffic, puts strain on planning departments etc. and what do local authorities gain from this? They have to provide those services with zero pay off for the sacrifice. In most other countries a higher proportion of taxes are paid to local authorities than in Ireland; if there’s no financial incentive through increased tax take, it makes zero financial sense for local authorities to bother. And the meagre level of property tax, which is chopped, changed and redistributed on a ministers whim is no replacement for a proper local government tax structure. Also; four years for a planning decision is utterly ridiculous. I’m not fan of developers but no wonder they’re always saying they can’t make money!
Watching this gets my blood boiling, I have 2 adult kids living at home who will be leaving this country in the near future after being well educated here, why? No housing. Does our country think we are going to decrease our population? Looking at other countries, some with 50 year development plans we must look like something from the start of the last century. There seems to be no pressure for our government to change the system but if they 'talk' about doing so, sweet FA will be done over 10 years. Nothing changes very slowly in Ireland which keeps the vested interests happy. If something doesn't greatly improve the administration of this great country it really will be down hill all the way.
If we're not doing single family zoning (which should exist, but pushed away from the centres), there should be mandatory mixed use in the developments. There's nothing more grim than just boring suburbia.
I was always sure Polish planing and building laws are insane and absolutely moronic...than I planned to build house in Ireland. I'm surprised that Ireland has any building standing.
Eloquently put. Ultimately, we need housing, and as long as we dig our heels in over every bit of progress, rent prices will increase, and society will suffer.
If it's so incredibly difficult to get anything approved, it leaves developers only willing to risk the effort on large and dense projects, if they hope to make any money.
I still say the best thing the government can do is ban commercial entities and foreign buyers buying residential housing. Only locals can buy homes and must prove they will live there or that it is not a 2nd home.
This is a fantastic channel! I've been trying to find a video that sums up the Irish housing problem for so long and this video offers such a succinct overview. The only thing I would add would be that a possible reason for why supply is kept low and demand high is to keep property prices high, which might be considered important to someone who regards their property as a retirement egg, investment, etc.
That is part of things, but from our observations people generally seem to favour housing in the abstract - and recognise that young people need housing - but when it’s near them they become actively opposed
I wanted to build housing for invalids / wheelchair bound, in the center of town in Hafnarfjörður Iceland. Nimbys complained and the politicians caved. I was forced to build a single family home for the rich instead. Nimbys are just pure evil.
Bats? Batshit crazy, more like. The country is utterly fecked. These NIMBY nutjobs would have us still living in wattle huts. Great video, lads. I wish the government had your vision. My kids might be able to afford to live in their own country!
@@raphaelcaceres9129 Right, so in a competitive international environment the country should just resist becoming more developed and wealthier. “Brilliant” strategy, but I think you might begin to see why I hope you don’t have a say in anything of national importance in the near future.
@@BigIronHyland Yes, they do. Every single person who does some form of work or even spending contributes to developing the country. You’re starting to catch on.
How were we able to build 80k houses in 2006 during peak boom, with the same planning and development Bill we've had since 2000? What changed that resulted in so many homes built in the boom but not now, I know we've had SHDs in 2016 but we scrapped them. I think to reduce the housing issue down to planning doesn't cut it, I believe there's more to housing supply than just planning law
I went to Dublin and surrounding towns for the first time since your last video. The Irish hospitality was absolutely class, but the places felt like I'd gone back in time 20 or 30 years from the UK. Lots of homelessness, lots of abandoned buildings. The issues you raise were pretty clear to see.
We have strict building design regulations because of the problems of the past, such as defective apartments. Deregulation leads to lower quality housing, which won't magically become cheaper. Always be wary of someone trying to sell you a magic bullet to a very complex problem...
@polysee I worked on this!! I was on my internship and I actually worked on the renewed planning application. The plan itself was absolutely sound and the objections were paper thin, but there was a particular issue with the strategic housing development system. It was meant to speed the process, but it removed the mechanism whereby an bord pleanala could request more information on anything. So when they got the solicitors letter they couldn't just ask the developers to do the bat survey so they could progress (this would have been an Request For Information). This meant that to give the plan permission would have opened the bord to legal challenges about environmental concerns. The SHD (strategic housing development) was an absolute DISASTER because of this one single mechanism. I dont think a single development was approved under the scheme.
Every town needs new homes and apartments. Especially 1-2 bedroom apartments. If built, single people would leave multi occupied 3-4 homes for the bigger families. Available
In austria planning is a local matter (basically done by each municipality) and here we have a push to move it to the highest level of government the national government because the conservationists complain that many municipalities allow too much building (they call it „bodenversiegelung“ basically translates to ground sealing (so that water cant seep away)) Funny to see something completely on the opposite side
Interesting. Nothing is certain, maybe that will work as you have civil law, but it could easily result in the lawyers taking over - citing the undemocratic nature of that - at least a local mayor / local government has legitimacy
Restrictions? Ireland? Nah, mate, not here. Ireland has the best politicians money can buy. The developers just haven't paid the Healy-Raes. Over here in East Cork, we have had a devastating flood last year in October. Now we have a big housing development in - guess where ...? - yes, in the plood plains of the Owenacurra which got flooded last year. And no, those houses will not be cheap. €500k for a house in timer frame construction... in a flood lain.
The Green Party used to have a mantra that the more roads you build, the more cars will be bought to fill those roads. Similarly with housing. In the era of mass migration, with millions of people on the move, the more houses you build, the more people will arrive to occupy that housing. We need to decide at what level of population we can sustain environmentally and socially and build for that. Otherwise we could end up incorporating Carlow into greater Dublin and still have a housing shortage.
I want to provide some more context on the species of bats associated with this development. Disclaimer I don’t think those houses should have been refused. Lesser horseshoe bats have gone extinct in a number of European countries. They are a species of bat that is very sensitive to light levels, their radar detects objects very close to them and they fly very close to objects like treees, stone walls, rivers etc to hunt and travel. They use these features to navigate. They are a species that is adapted for hunting insects in dense cluttered vegetated areas. Other bat species e.g. pipistrelles have longer radar that sees further and they hunt in open areas. Because lesser horseshoe bats don’t see very far with their radar, they use their eyes more and are the most sensitive to light of any bat species in ireland, avoiding lit areas. They are also sensitive to linear features like treelines and hedgerows being removed, and their distribution can be easily fragmented losing commuting routes due to barriers in the landscape such as lighting and a lack of treelines etc. Leading to genetic bottlenecking. Rivers are particularly important for them as they often use rivers to commute and rivers will have good foraging habitat as well. Anyhow, they still have plenty space to commute in the national park and everywhere east of the proposed development is well lit up, so it’s not like the development was blocking any way for the bats to get between the park and other areas outside of the park. It’s a shame that bats get used by NIMBYs who probably dont care about them at all to object to developments
Planning system in Ireland is unfit for purpose. It needs to be replaced with a defined rules based system, time defined, without the ability of biased individuals to derail required development
NIMBYism has gone way too far. The situation in The Netherlands is very similar. Whenever construction projects are announced, rich boomers protest as long as they can. It's affecting the future of younger generations so much. Protestors need to realize that not building new houses means their children and grandchildren may not be able to live nearby anymore, and that local services and shops may close down. It also increases inequality and so on. Meanwhile, prices over average homes are increasing more than the average salary in the country. We desperately need more housing to secure the future of our country. It's a negative spiral that needs to be fixed a.s.a.p.
If the government allocated sufficient funding to the National Parks and Wildlife Service to properly manage Ireland’s national parks such as Killarneys, then these kinds of planning objections wouldn’t occur.
If I recall, this goes back a few decades. Local councils had extensive control over planning, but the councillors abused these powers and extracted various forms of kickbacks, brown envelopes etc. in exchange for granting or withholding permissions. It was quite bad, but was one of the few instances where cross party cooperation flourished, with a party from one constituency supporting or opposing various planning measures in exchange for reciprocal assistance from a party in a different area, so as to obfuscate any attempt to link the paper trail to its actual beneficiaries. It got so bad that central government had to step in and assume control in order to prevent local government from becoming embroiled in massive corruption scandals and losing public confidence and support. Perhaps this decision wasn’t so batty as it might seem, but was merely the result of local planning ‘traditions’ being played out at central government levels.
Good video - the planning and housing stuff is definitely where this page is at its best Just a minor fact-check on the idea that "right now, objectors can put pressure on councillors to oppose developments" - councillors aren't involved in specific planning permissions for this exact reason. Voting on the overall development plan for the council is a "reserved" function that councillors vote on, but implementing the plan (eg planning permission decisions) is an "executive" function and so would sit in the council office, away from councillor or political influence.
Honestly, i dont fully blame our government or councils for our housing crisis I blame our own residents too. In the middle of a serious housing crisis, people object to it because it will have negative impacts on Killarney National Park... but the rest of the town doesn't??? This isn't even the stupidest case of the public objecting to badly needed housing was here in Limerick Last year, a plan was unveiled for an 8 story apartment building on Mallow Street. It was massively objected against because it was "too tall"... 8 stories??? Too tall??? What are these people smoking??? And also for those of you who are well good at geography, you'll also know that Mallow Street is also where riverpoint is... the tallest building in Limerick and one of the tallest in Ireland and is like 3 times taller 🤦 And we wonder why we have a housing crisis... sure maybe the government would build more housing if we actually let them and not make up some retarded reasons as to why we cant build it
You make some good points, however you skated over the fact if new housing is constructed in an area, then the children brought up in those houses will grow up to find there are no jobs for them to apply for when they leave school! In some ways, it is kinder not to build the housing and lay out the false promise of employment. Thanks for uploading.
More houses are needed if Ireland wants to attract more talent. I'm an immigrant myself, and Ireland is the hardest and most time-consuming place to buy and build (obviously I'm on the buyer's side) property compared to what I spent in the NL and Turkey. With the current planning and legal system, supply will never satisfy the current and projected demand.
I live in a fashionable wee village about 10km from a “proper” town. Next door sold for €895k last week. It’s a 3 bed bungalow. Well, 2 and a box room. Has a nice view but that’s insanity.
@@Dreyno that's insane....I bought a two bedroom timber frame house few years ago up here for 75 k in 2018....not a palace but nice enough... mortgage cheaper than renting, about 40 mins from Belfast
@@polysee I second the dislike of the comparison between US states and Ireland, mainly because building practices in the US largely favor car centrism. I’d rather see a comparison with similar towns in continental Europe to help contextualise. That said, great video overall!
At 1:55, you mentioned that large scale plans were able to bypass local governments and submit directly to the national board. Would they normally have to get approval from the local government before they could apply to the national government?
At 15:00: a “real home” compared to a “modular home”? Does modular housing in Ireland equate to what we call trailer or mobile homes in the U.S.? Modular housing in the USA is basically factory built that’s assembled on a permanent foundation & essentially indistinguishable from a stick/site-built house.
I really like these videos and the topics they touch on so please permit me some devil's advocacy here - while I do believe that we are too centralised, Im not fully convinced how giving local governments power to legislate will reduce NIMBYism. Even in the studies shown, we are the worst of a bad bunch, and the other examples shown are significantly more devolved. For example, the US has local governments staunchly opposing rezoning and affordable developments (iregardless of party lines as shown by Andressen). I think giving power to local developments could improve the situation SLIGHTLY, but still leave it pretty bad. All you have to do is look at owners /neighbourshood associations - are the members homeowners or renters usually? I think we need to essentially scrap the ability to appeal for most of these objections as long as buildings are up to code and consistent with the set out housing development plan. Hope to spark some friendly discussions here :)
Another brilliant video about Ireland’s shameful planning regulations and lack of foresight. Would be great if more people were interested in the Danish style cohousing model. Sustainable communities (with your own privacy if you want) and lifelong companionship for a growingly lonely population. 🙏🌍🌱 (An expat with no chance of returning to a disaster of a country)
How clever the Irish govt were to advertise their own-door accommodation policy in various languages re. offering free Bed & Board plus work-permits in Ireland to unlimited numbers of working age single men and their families and to introduce planning exemptions for buildings nationwide, plus providing rapid-build modular homes at €443k a pop on swathes of state land, so that local communities will not have a veto on tens of thousands of non-Irish nationals who can work alongside them in the Irish economy while living rent-free with all needs fully catered for! Thank you Roderic O'Gorman!
Great video displaying how ridiculously hard it is to build anything in this country. I'm not sold that local government will suddenly dampen the objection culture and produce greater results. Ultimately we give a huge amount of power and civil liberty to locals who have many options to implement the stop and stall strategy you discussed in this video. Truly a broken system in place which needs to be stripped down and built up from the start, not adjusted or adding another civil department
The problem is actually too many regulators who have conflicting regulations. And all too common developers wanting developments that suit them not the area or its needs.
uk and ireland, too much nimby power and nothing changes in terms of this "doesn't keep with the towns rustic asthetic and height" in ireland this means it was 3 floors high lmao, who cares what the houses look like do you want cheaper housing?
I am all in favour of greater local autonomy for most things but I am not entirely convinced that somewhere like Killarney , probably the jewel in the crown of Ireland's natural heritage regions, can be left entirely to local business and political interests. These are the same people who wanted to install mechanised chair-lifts in Killarney National Park at one time I believe. And who generally see things like National Parks as a money making opportunity rather than as something whose primary purpose is to preserve wildlife. Killarney has long been over-developed in my opinion, with far too many hotels for such a small town. Tourism might be the biggest employer but it can easily ruin a place if allowed to. The very thing that most tourists come to see, Muckross House and the National Park, is basically hemmed in by the town on the eastern side with the main road into the park lined with hotels and guesthouses all the way to the Park gates. Blaming "bats" for a housing shortage is a bit like fishermen blaming seals for a scarcity of fish. Everyone knows that the problem is human demand. Maybe Ireland needs to reexamine it's open door borders policy first? Or is that too politically sensitive? We have already sacrificed our culture to globalisation, must we sacrifice what is left of our natural heritage also?
Enda Kenny borrowed 200 billion euro in order to stop house prices crashing further, back in 2012 and used the rest to pump inflation back into existing housing stock. In order to keep this new bubble from deflating as soon as all this stimulus went in, he needed to patch a few holes. In other words he had to stop houses from being sold in order to impose scarcity on the market. So, he used the courts to forgive debt rather than issue foreclosure orders which would have given buyers more choice and lower prices. He passed legislation to make the repossession of properties in mortgage default so difficult that the banks he forced us to bail out were not allowed to retrieve their properties but had to settle for less by letting foreign vulture funds have them instead. This is why we need an economic depression. If the government cannot afford to maintain it`s bubble in house prices, the market will naturally seek out true price discovery. The geopolitical shifts in the world economy are promising to shake things up, so there is reason to be optimistic if you are waiting until the housing market presents buyers with low prices again. To protect it`s bubble, the government does not want people to be aware of the real reason for the housing crisis, i.e. it`s policy. So, it pushes the narritive that it is all about a shortage in new houses. But, don`t worry. Even though everyone believes this government lie, the truth will be known soon enough for it is about to overwhelm the government`s ability to hide it.
Fantastic video🔥🔥! I have incurred so much losses trading on my own....I trade well on demo but I think the real market is manipulated.... Can anyone help me out or at least tell me what I'm doing wrong??
Trading on a demo account can definitely feel similar to the real market, but there are some differences. It's important to remember that trading involves risks and it's normal to face looses sometimes. One piece of advice is to start small and gradually increase your investments as you gain more experience and confidence. It might also be helpful to seek guidance from experienced traders or do some research on different trading strategies.
If you are trading without a professional guide... Ah, I laugh, because you will stay where you are or even suffer huge losses that will prevent you from trading, this has been one of the biggest problems for new traders.
Dear god! And I though the SF Bay Area was bad!! This is industrial/professional strength planning BS. An Bord Pleanala is not fir for purpose. Common sense needs to prevail. As a person commented in the local newspaper "the bats will be just fine".
Tax is the only way out of this, make owning property for a living a thing of the past, start taxing income from rent and use the revenue to build more affordable housing. Ideally we'd get it to a point where owning a second home would be rare and owning a third would be unheard of.
people are much more accepting of things that happen via markets (house prices go up), than happen via visible human decision (council gives planning permission for house next door)
I know plenty of retirees living mortgage-free in lovely houses in nice areas, with a holiday home and two nice cars as well - all of which they could afford after raising a family on one income. Now their grandchildren can't find a single poky room to rent near the college they want to attend. Students are paying €600 per month for a single bed in a room shared with two other lads. But these well-off pensioners are totally out of touch. I listened to one of them griping recently about her plight of having to put up with all her husband's golf gear clogging up the hall in both of their nice 4-bed houses But.. before the famine the population was higher! Never mind that back then two entire houses for a 2-person household on a single pension was unheard when households consisting of 16 people subsisted on potatoes in a one-room cabin in absolute poverty and squalor - not enjoying the same high standard of living to a ripe old age on nice big pensions for decades while availing of free public healthcare
Good God! If I didn't know better, or found myself unable to get through a few minutes of the video without flinging the phone across the room in anger, I might easily have fooled myself into thinking this was ragebait! The planners spend, what, 5 years f••ka7sing around - and when they _do_ eventually knock it back, it is on the grounds of (amongst other things) bats that don't come anywhere near the place, and the drearily predictable veto on some of the proposed building heights... I don't have any copies of what the developers were proposing, but I scrutinized the video in vain for any images or descriptions of the high - rise elements in the plans... I do see some 4 - storey blocks -- technically, what is called _'low~rise'(!)..._ They look as depressing as all get out, of course; the sort of place that ought to include a year's prescription to the SSRI of your choice - and that's based just on the _proposals!_ But this is about height, not aesthetic considerations, and tower blocks, these are not. (The aesthetic considerations are no doubt covered elsewhere in the Board's rejection! It was to my surprise and the local council's credit that they actually _backed_ the proposals, blandness - to - the - point - of - ugliness notwithstanding, considering that Kerry is a very rural county which makes much of its living from tourism, a great deal of that by Americans of advancing years and conservative tastes, looking eagerly about for thatched cottages fitted with half - doors, turf (peat) smoke issuing from the chimney...) Even _Westport,_ as chi~chi a town as I've ever been to in Ireland, and only a fraction of Killarney's size, has substantial blocks of flats 5, and, I think, 6 storeys high. To be fair, the blocks I'm thinking of are conversions of longstanding warehouses; but they are substantial in size. I don't know when the conversation to residential use was permitted, but nowadays, given the choice between dereliction and homes vibrant with life, the planners would probably opt for dereliction, if not out - and - out demolition, especially given that they are in an area even _more_ picturesque, if that's possible, than Killarney! And yet, are these structures grossly out of place, as one might imagine? They are not - indeed, if anything, they complement their setting. It didn't hurt, of course, that these buildings were erected at a time when people _genuinely_ gave a crap about the way things looked, no matter that they were only ever intended to be warehouses! I'm at risk of getting sidetracked into the more aesthetic aspects here, but my point is that if we can have apartment blocks of this size in what is a village, essentially, at the foot of Ireland's Holy Mountain, without my ever having been aware in all the time I lived there of a groundswell of opinion against them - what is so different about Killarney? Why does _it_ get an out?! No one's proposing a repeat of the unlamented St. Michael's Estate (Inchicore) or the old Ballymun Scheme here - Hell, they were wrong for _Dublin,_ even if their height was only a problem because the (then) Corporation cheaped out on everything else - but why do we have to have this unremitting whinge of 'Too _High!'_ 'Not in _Keeping!'_ *every - single - time* someone proposes something bigger than a garden shed in this country?! And it's the same thing when it comes to the wildlife! As alluded to both in the video and the comments, never did the birds, or the bees, or the sycamore trees have a more staunch or more fervent ally than the NIMBY who spots a manger it can have a nice lie~down in (whether it wants one, or not; obviously!) Such a great shame that that Chinese bat that was the cause of all that trouble a couple of years back, when "Oul' bug was going around", hadn't been a resident of Ireland, or better yet, Co. Kerry, where far from mischief - making scientists wielding butterfly nets, they wouldn't have been bothered by so much as a _street light_ within a kilometre! I would happily bet a week's wages that prior to the proposal of the particular development or scheme in question, half of these great ecologists wouldn't even have been _aware_ of the existence of whichever species, the Horseshoe - Something - or - Other - Bat in this case, whose very _being_ is in such jeopardy... and the efforts of the developers dashed, not to mention the hopes of all those 20 and 30~somethings living with family or in houseshares (if not actually on the street!); their conservation work complete, these same Oh - So - Virtuous Environmentalists can go back to blocking the drains with wet~wipes and fouling the recycling with chicken carcasses! Apparently, (I read in the comments), things have actually gotten to the point where all of this nonsense is actually starting to wear thin with _genuine,_ bona fide ecologists - presumably because it is in danger of drawing their discipline into disrepute! There is another issue, much in the news and in social media at the minute, which rather affects the housing situation which I fear to specifically name here for reasons long term commenters will well understand! I'll just say, it relates to "people's comings and goings"! Now, let me say straight out of the gate - as far as any individual coming to this country is concerned; I have no problem with anybody based on where they're from, what they look like, who they pray to (or not), etc, etc, providing they come here with honest and benevolent intentions; a general willingness to bring something and contribute, put their shoulder to the wheel, etc - or at the very least, not be 'weakening the structure', so to speak. OK, all well and good... The other side, notwithstanding the individual and perhaps much - needed skills people are bringing to the table, is that, as some commenters more blunt in their approach might put it: "Ireland is full"! (They usually capitalize the 'full' part, of course!) It's unfortunate, it shouldn't be the case -- you look at the Netherlands, 20 million people in a country the size of Munster! -- but it is. This 'coming and going' may be good for the country's economy as a whole, people can argue about whether or not it benefits the cultural life of the country, but it seems hard to argue against the fact that for the country's working class, to be in favour of all this movement, in the numbers in which it is happening, is akin to a turkey voting for Christmas, in housing (and employment) terms. This goes as much for your 'Digital Nomad' types, btw, as it does the families you see in those ethnic supermarkets and food shops! As distasteful and seemingly off - topic as it may be, I bring this up because for all that it is a paradox - "You can't talk about it, even as you can't escape people banging on about it!" - because things have reached a point where it _has_ to be part of the discourse, so much so, the dogs in the street are talking about it! Things have gotten to the point where opposing camps (no pun intended) of homeless people are fighting for space alongside the canals to pitch their tents! In that context, I _have_ to bring it up. Ireland is of course in all this the subject of geopolitical forces over which we have very little control. The issue is so politicized and polarizing that in many ways the subject is best avoided, and people as they row about it tend to forget that there are people's lives central to all this, not least our own people's; and the whole... arena... is filled with bad actors. As with so many things, though, this is an issue which is highly (and I use this word very advisedly) _intersectional!_ Certainly it is inextricably bound up with planning. Of course planners don't dictate the policy for anything other than planning, and they certainly don't legislate, but in this, as with the larger issue of housing, there is the sense that they are dangerously behind the curve. I think it's also worth saying that I believe that with all the 'sturm und drang' around the issue, this is, to say the least, useful for certain elements who would use the smoke thrown up to hide many other issues that are cogent to the question of how a country with such a small (if rapidly growing) population is so unable to house it's people! There is much that is badly wrong with the state of the Irish planning system but I would suggest that one of the things wrong with it, and unfortunately you can't legislate for this, is that the planners don't have to live with the consequences of their decisions! I would question how many of them, or their children, have spent literally decades on a list for a council house (remember them?!); how many of them have jostled for a place in a queue just to see _the ads_ for places that have already been let before the papers have even come off the presses... How many have lived in a single cramped hotel room with small children... How many of them have had to bung a profiteering landlord a couple of months extra rent to secure some already egregiously overpriced kip, or live in dread of their sleazy and intimidating advances because they literally have noplace else to go? If I can sum it up, Ireland is a country where far too many people are writing cheques that they know (or _should_ know) other people's a7ses will have to cash!
Yes I believe so, Peter Sweetman is a famous example. He's kept a necessary bridge where I live from being built for the last 15 years, and I believe galways bypass too but not sure on that one, it's a joke, extremely undemocratic to give one neurotic head case all this sway over everyone else's lives
@@liamsweeney4754 have you seen the recent case where glenveagh (developers) are bring a couple in county Meath to court over serial objections, ruling could set a new precedent
The only way to make sense of this nonsense is to accept that the 60% who own homes are utterly determined to protect their property values, preventing new builds, even at the expense of a) making the country unattractive to FDI on which it depends, b) encouraging growth of right wing extremists who feed off the anger of working class ppl who are never going tonbe able to own, and will rent for life, and c) their own children, who will need ro emigrate, in order tonafford a house in another country. Nothing will change until a majority of ppl force change. It's perception. Building new homes on public land, won't hurt existing home owners. In fact, a case can easily be made that without new houses, the economy will stall, and existing home owners will suffer eventually. The govt needs to assuage the fears of home owners. New homes are NOT a threat to your family's net worth.
You're acting like this is just an Irish issue. It's global. I live in Australia ,one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world and house prices here are through the roof. Insane prices for shit houses.
That's a great video and contains a lot of truths, although - to play devil's advocate - he's using only one example. There would be lots of times that local authorities refused planning permission which were then subsequently overturned by An Bord Planeála.
My sister lives in Galway in a detached house with a large garden. Her college-educated adult children have emigrated, bar the youngest aged in his early twenties but she expects he will emigrate as he has no prospect of affording a roof over his head or to start a family. She is very supportive of the govt policy of pumping billions into providing for the upkeep of unlimited numbers of asylum seekers to live rent-free in state-provided housing with their families, as she feels that providing financial handouts to these families of free benefits, supports, healthcare, housing, living expenses, etc. to enable them to make a life in Ireland is good for the economy - because the unaffordable housing market and high cost of living have made it difficult for young EU workers to fill the labour shortages in Ireland and all the young Irish working people who can't afford a roof over their head in their own country are emigrating She will vote for more of the same from the same parties again. Sure haven't the young people always emigrated, and don't we have a 'moral obligation' to offer unlimited numbers of non-Irish families from countries with many times the population of Ireland a better future, since we are so privileged to have benefited from the struggle of our own grandparents who fought to provide a better future for us and our children in their own country after so many generations of Irish families suffered religious persecution, poverty, war, famine and emigration on coffin ships, conflict, partition, discrimination and sectarian strife..
Plans submitted in 2017, to be refused in 2022.
Even without the crazy objections and refusal, a 5 year timeline to just to get planning approval for a housing estate is bad enough.
I agree, those timelines are far too long. One of the few good things about the new Planning & Development Bill is that it puts hard limits on these timelines for planning authorities. But the bigger issue is that the majority of planning approvals never are commenced by the applicants. The planning system is often used as a device of speculation.
In 5 years you can dig a foundation, put down walls, do the roof, and still have time left to do utilities. Bureaucracy makes a simple task into agony
@@brokencat2662 you can definitely finish building houses in 5 years, if you really want to.
@@AbdulMunimKazia You can be living in that house for 3 years by that time and that is with generous scheduling.
The government added SHDs to An Bord Planaela’s workload and didn’t and wasn’t able to expand the capacity there. It was inevitably going to delay these applications and mean that ABP failed to meet its existing target timelines.
I did Planning & Sustainable Development in UCC for two years and you would nearly learn more in this video then an entire masters. Incredibly well done!!
because we all know academics are spoofers who will never produce anything meaningful. They are too busy being boring and mundane to rock the boat.
Such honesty about the quality of qualifications and yet so necessary for employment. I wonder why ?
@@Mpg972 This video is a brilliant example of the learning that can be achieved on RUclips. That being said, planners are trained to be critical thinkers in making policy or development decision's and that can only be achieved through college learning and academia.
@@bryanmcdonnell6899😂😂...i guess your being sarcastic
An Bord Pleanála are a disgrace. The amount of cosy arrangements for friends and relatives I’ve come across would make you sick.
so infuriating, objection culture in Ireland is so so selfish. As you say, selfish to the point of doing your own children in!
The issue of concentrated costs and diffuse benefits is justified, but it is far from unique to Ireland. The video makes a good point about our weak Local Authorities. This is fairly unique to Ireland and a leading cause for many of our issues. Perhaps ask the candidates knocking on doors over the next few months how they are going to strengthen Local Authorities.
Objections get completely ignored when "ipas" are involved. Has the penny dropped yet
@@G1r2e3e4n5D6a7y811 it is easily the most selfish culture I have encountered, and I've lived on three continents and traveled all over the world.
@@GarthPhilpotinteresting...ive travelled and worked all over the world too. Your probably right 😂
Nothing works in Ireland.
Except Revenue.
One of the reasons why the Residential Zoned Land Tax has land hoarders running scared. It will hopefully dislodge much development land out of speculation and into development.
That's for sure. As long as the tax keeps rolling in they don't really care too much. Anyone that can't see the money washing by various connected companies of government money have their head in the sand.
I’ve lived in 4 different western countries. Ireland works as well as all of them. Are there things that don’t work as well as they should? Of course, it’s the same in every country. Perfection isn’t really possible
I work as a planner in the private sector. As a 27 year old who cant rent due to price and lack of properties on offer, with a similar situation for buying, i genuinely believe that there are two sets of people in society, those who own houses and those who don't and your views on new builds depends on which side of the fence you're on. It will result in lower birth rates due to increased infantilisation of society, resulting in the need to increase immigration to cope with ageing population, which will continue to anger working class people. It is a downward spiral unless planning authorities grant more applications and ABP stops cowing to the 'contented class'.
I agree. I'm on the fence of non home owner. Home owners look down on people like me. I'm not saying all but I've encountered a lot of home owners smugness attitude. Especially the landlords with more than two properties.
I think the “infantilisation” thing is bandied about a bit too liberally. People are absolutely stuck and having those who could buy a house for 3x their yearly salary basically call them children because they can’t afford 12x their salary for a house is just adding insult to injury.
@@Dreyno It's not just about buying. It could be solved if people in their 20s could rent at a reasonable price and continue to save. It's not normal for people in their 30s to still be living at home not able to rent, nevermind buy. I haven't met a single person in the same situation as me who doesn't feel infantalisesd
@@ciarandineen4802 Infantilised means being treated as a child. Being a grown ass man who works, pays tax, votes etc. is not infantilised because they can’t afford a house. They just can’t afford a house. Unless they stay at home and have their parents meet their needs and have no income of their own, they are not being infantilised.
Hell, multigenerational homes were the norm in Ireland and much of the western world until 50 years ago.
@@Dreynonot owning a house means not starting a family. So yeas it infantalises you.
Your basically forever 21 in a bedsit . I'm a 40 year old 21 year old engaged to a 32 year old 21 year old. My life hasn't changed in 19 years . Most frustrating thing is I'm a carpenter. Ive spent all that time building houses.
Don't simply retire from something; have something to retire to. Start saving, keep saving, and stick to investments.
It’s really heartbreaking to see how inflation and recession impact low-income families. The cost of living keeps rising, and many struggle just to meet basic needs, let alone save or invest. It’s a reminder of the importance of finding ways to create financial opportunities. You've helped me a lot sir Brian! Imagine i invested $50,000 and received $190,500 after 14 days
Absolutely! Profits are possible, especially now, but complex transactions should be handled by experienced market professionals.
Some persons think inves'tin is all about buying stocks; I think going into the stock market without a good experience is a big risk, that's why I'm lucky to have seen someone like mr Brian C Nelson.
Finding yourself a good broker is as same as finding a good wife, which you go less stress, you get just enough with so much little effort at things
Brian demonstrates an excellent understanding of market trends, making well informed decisions that leads to consistent profit
Can't thank you enough for these videos. While I live in Northern Ireland, it's great to have a detailed understanding of why housing is so bad in the Irish state. It's a great balance of being informative while also compact.
Informative as ever. Wish we could build (or at least try to build) city streets, parks, squares, terraces etc and not just soulless housing estates though.
It's a fkng joke! Not only they all look the same but also built with poor material!
Some of the developers and architects responsible for housing estates in Ireland should be deported. For every nicely planned estate with attractive houses, there’s 20 with ugly, disproportionate boxes lined up row after row. Houses with dormer roofs but windows that don’t go above the eave, weird hipped awning roofs over windows, houses with square, picture and vertical windows in the same aspect, driveways that a car doesn’t fit in, houses with their back to the main road, houses with a potentially nice view built in such a way that you cannot see the view from your house etc.
Why ? A detached house with parking at the front and a garden at the back is the best house . Why build anything else.
@@avancalledrupert5130 In Greystones they cost a fortune and are all the cheapest clones. For that price I just can't believe the cheek of not using 3-4 designs changes.
@@SebBrandenberg the land of can't.... Can't get a fucking thing done.
It's so sad to see Ireland in the state it is in, 30 years old, working a good job, absolutely no prospect in sight of moving out of the family home, as a single person, it is a travesty. I hope that we look back in shame at our current actions in the near future.
I love the point at the end of saying the objector's children could afford to move back to Kilarney if maybe they allowed the development. That's so true. Why are you still living with housemates in your late 20s?, then simultaneously preventing any new builds in your area kind of screws everyone including the NIMBYS whose children live an hour away and cant even afford to live alone.
One of the best irish RUclipsrs as well as real Engineering.
Every video you posted is so well done.
I often highlight to others that the planned system is the biggest driver for the poor supply of Housing. Galway city council is a great example of this. It's probably the worst run Council in Ireland.
Their is even a noticeable difference between the city council and country country in regards of planning.
I've also highlighted that a distance limit for a new development for objections should be brought in max 10km from a development should be brought in.
I take it you’ve never been to Sligo then? They spent the boom years putting housing estates in surrounding villages meaning people commuting in to a town choking on traffic. No public transport available from some of them. Their planning is legendary for its utter idiocy.
Suffice to say, Sligo town hasn’t had a public toilet for two decades and they still draw a salary.
@@Dreyno well did Sligo spend between 60 and 70 million on a new office that isn't ready yet and say the current office is more suitable or €250,0000 on a 2 benches that nobody uses?
@@diarmaidmoloney5611 They bought a self cleaning toilet and spent almost two decades paying for it to be stored in Dublin. Almost 250k and not a pot to piss in. They eventually sold it.
They also allowed almost no building in the town during the Celtic Tiger years. Sligo town has grown by about 25% in the last 50 years. Meanwhile Letterkenny has grown by 500% in that time.
What they did do is give planning for numerous housing estates 10-30km from town with zero public transport but didn’t bother upgrading the roads to them. Villages that had populations of 500 are now 3X as big and there isn’t a line on the road to them.
There was a problem with people loitering and drinking on benches along the river so they pulled them up before locals protested and they had to return them.
They got into a lengthy court battle with two barristers about land access which they promptly lost having racked up huge legal bills.
Oh, and they attempted to site a landfill dump in Europe’s largest megalithic cemetery. After a six year legal battle in which locals remortgaged their houses to fight, the lost in the Supreme Court.
They also built a “bypass” right through the town. When some councillors objected, they commissioned a report which then stated that by the time they were due to start constructing it, it would already be several years out of date. They built it anyway.
Also, a previous county manager didn’t “believe” in roundabouts.
Just some of their lowlights.
Oh, and part demolished a historic prison to locate a fire station in the most inaccessible part of the town that the fire brigade struggle to get out of when there’s any sort of traffic.
Even with powers returned to local authorities what incentive do they have to develop more housing? Housing puts pressure on local services, requires road, sewage and water upgrades, causes increased traffic, puts strain on planning departments etc. and what do local authorities gain from this? They have to provide those services with zero pay off for the sacrifice.
In most other countries a higher proportion of taxes are paid to local authorities than in Ireland; if there’s no financial incentive through increased tax take, it makes zero financial sense for local authorities to bother. And the meagre level of property tax, which is chopped, changed and redistributed on a ministers whim is no replacement for a proper local government tax structure.
Also; four years for a planning decision is utterly ridiculous. I’m not fan of developers but no wonder they’re always saying they can’t make money!
Don’t they increase tax take through the property taxes?
I agree 100% with sharing the planet sustainably with all the other species on the planet, but this is absolutely insane.
And sadly typical.
Watching this gets my blood boiling, I have 2 adult kids living at home who will be leaving this country in the near future after being well educated here, why? No housing. Does our country think we are going to decrease our population? Looking at other countries, some with 50 year development plans we must look like something from the start of the last century. There seems to be no pressure for our government to change the system but if they 'talk' about doing so, sweet FA will be done over 10 years. Nothing changes very slowly in Ireland which keeps the vested interests happy. If something doesn't greatly improve the administration of this great country it really will be down hill all the way.
If we're not doing single family zoning (which should exist, but pushed away from the centres), there should be mandatory mixed use in the developments.
There's nothing more grim than just boring suburbia.
No I like it like that. Don't want the town feeling outside the centre. Then I can allways drive around the town and have nothing to do with it.
@@avancalledrupert5130 it's not all about you
Great work lads
I was always sure Polish planing and building laws are insane and absolutely moronic...than I planned to build house in Ireland. I'm surprised that Ireland has any building standing.
Eloquently put. Ultimately, we need housing, and as long as we dig our heels in over every bit of progress, rent prices will increase, and society will suffer.
Wow, mind blowing. Very informative video on Irelands housing crisis.
Why is it always those ugly as sin housing estates where everywhere gets a lifeless grass patch
If it's so incredibly difficult to get anything approved, it leaves developers only willing to risk the effort on large and dense projects, if they hope to make any money.
I still say the best thing the government can do is ban commercial entities and foreign buyers buying residential housing. Only locals can buy homes and must prove they will live there or that it is not a 2nd home.
This is a fantastic channel! I've been trying to find a video that sums up the Irish housing problem for so long and this video offers such a succinct overview. The only thing I would add would be that a possible reason for why supply is kept low and demand high is to keep property prices high, which might be considered important to someone who regards their property as a retirement egg, investment, etc.
That is part of things, but from our observations people generally seem to favour housing in the abstract - and recognise that young people need housing - but when it’s near them they become actively opposed
Top class. Brilliantly put together
I wanted to build housing for invalids / wheelchair bound, in the center of town in Hafnarfjörður Iceland. Nimbys complained and the politicians caved. I was forced to build a single family home for the rich instead. Nimbys are just pure evil.
Bats? Batshit crazy, more like. The country is utterly fecked. These NIMBY nutjobs would have us still living in wattle huts. Great video, lads. I wish the government had your vision. My kids might be able to afford to live in their own country!
If the next generation can't afford to live whats it all even for. We need to fix housing in Ireland, and fast
@@TransportSupremo Send this to Kerry County Council and Fine Geal Fianna Fáil and Green Party.
193,000 people moved to Ireland in the last 12 months! Nutshell.
And unemployment is at an all time low.
Ireland needs both more workers and houses, not less.
@@silvanb2238it "needs" nothing: it wants to grow yes, but that doesn't mean it should
@@raphaelcaceres9129
Right, so in a competitive international environment the country should just resist becoming more developed and wealthier.
“Brilliant” strategy, but I think you might begin to see why I hope you don’t have a say in anything of national importance in the near future.
@@silvanb2238 over 100k Ukrainians makes us more developed 😂😂😂
@@BigIronHyland
Yes, they do. Every single person who does some form of work or even spending contributes to developing the country. You’re starting to catch on.
How were we able to build 80k houses in 2006 during peak boom, with the same planning and development Bill we've had since 2000? What changed that resulted in so many homes built in the boom but not now, I know we've had SHDs in 2016 but we scrapped them. I think to reduce the housing issue down to planning doesn't cut it, I believe there's more to housing supply than just planning law
Yeah just forget getting a house in Ireland. Its a betrayal.
They stopped building social housing
All world Governments do it all of them get re-elected.
I went to Dublin and surrounding towns for the first time since your last video. The Irish hospitality was absolutely class, but the places felt like I'd gone back in time 20 or 30 years from the UK. Lots of homelessness, lots of abandoned buildings. The issues you raise were pretty clear to see.
Ireland way ahead the UK progressively just not as woke more homeless in the UK.
Could you explore in and out the changes to the planning process and board that were passed in a bill last week?
We have strict building design regulations because of the problems of the past, such as defective apartments. Deregulation leads to lower quality housing, which won't magically become cheaper. Always be wary of someone trying to sell you a magic bullet to a very complex problem...
@polysee I worked on this!! I was on my internship and I actually worked on the renewed planning application. The plan itself was absolutely sound and the objections were paper thin, but there was a particular issue with the strategic housing development system. It was meant to speed the process, but it removed the mechanism whereby an bord pleanala could request more information on anything. So when they got the solicitors letter they couldn't just ask the developers to do the bat survey so they could progress (this would have been an Request For Information). This meant that to give the plan permission would have opened the bord to legal challenges about environmental concerns. The SHD (strategic housing development) was an absolute DISASTER because of this one single mechanism. I dont think a single development was approved under the scheme.
Every town needs new homes and apartments. Especially 1-2 bedroom apartments. If built, single people would leave multi occupied 3-4 homes for the bigger families. Available
Great channel. Antidote to the “sure what can you do” attitude
In austria planning is a local matter (basically done by each municipality) and here we have a push to move it to the highest level of government the national government because the conservationists complain that many municipalities allow too much building (they call it „bodenversiegelung“ basically translates to ground sealing (so that water cant seep away))
Funny to see something completely on the opposite side
Interesting. Nothing is certain, maybe that will work as you have civil law, but it could easily result in the lawyers taking over - citing the undemocratic nature of that - at least a local mayor / local government has legitimacy
This is all just. Bat Sh*t Crazy.
Restrictions? Ireland? Nah, mate, not here. Ireland has the best politicians money can buy. The developers just haven't paid the Healy-Raes. Over here in East Cork, we have had a devastating flood last year in October. Now we have a big housing development in - guess where ...? - yes, in the plood plains of the Owenacurra which got flooded last year. And no, those houses will not be cheap. €500k for a house in timer frame construction... in a flood lain.
The Green Party used to have a mantra that the more roads you build, the more cars will be bought to fill those roads.
Similarly with housing. In the era of mass migration, with millions of people on the move, the more houses you build, the more people will arrive to occupy that housing.
We need to decide at what level of population we can sustain environmentally and socially and build for that. Otherwise we could end up incorporating Carlow into greater Dublin and still have a housing shortage.
I would love to see Polysee do a plan for Conamara County(yet to be formed), I love you guys!
I want to provide some more context on the species of bats associated with this development. Disclaimer I don’t think those houses should have been refused. Lesser horseshoe bats have gone extinct in a number of European countries. They are a species of bat that is very sensitive to light levels, their radar detects objects very close to them and they fly very close to objects like treees, stone walls, rivers etc to hunt and travel. They use these features to navigate. They are a species that is adapted for hunting insects in dense cluttered vegetated areas. Other bat species e.g. pipistrelles have longer radar that sees further and they hunt in open areas. Because lesser horseshoe bats don’t see very far with their radar, they use their eyes more and are the most sensitive to light of any bat species in ireland, avoiding lit areas. They are also sensitive to linear features like treelines and hedgerows being removed, and their distribution can be easily fragmented losing commuting routes due to barriers in the landscape such as lighting and a lack of treelines etc. Leading to genetic bottlenecking. Rivers are particularly important for them as they often use rivers to commute and rivers will have good foraging habitat as well.
Anyhow, they still have plenty space to commute in the national park and everywhere east of the proposed development is well lit up, so it’s not like the development was blocking any way for the bats to get between the park and other areas outside of the park. It’s a shame that bats get used by NIMBYs who probably dont care about them at all to object to developments
Thanks for the info
Planning system in Ireland is unfit for purpose. It needs to be replaced with a defined rules based system, time defined, without the ability of biased individuals to derail required development
Great work as always
Healey Rays at it again I see.
NIMBYism has gone way too far. The situation in The Netherlands is very similar. Whenever construction projects are announced, rich boomers protest as long as they can. It's affecting the future of younger generations so much. Protestors need to realize that not building new houses means their children and grandchildren may not be able to live nearby anymore, and that local services and shops may close down. It also increases inequality and so on. Meanwhile, prices over average homes are increasing more than the average salary in the country. We desperately need more housing to secure the future of our country. It's a negative spiral that needs to be fixed a.s.a.p.
If the government allocated sufficient funding to the National Parks and Wildlife Service to properly manage Ireland’s national parks such as Killarneys, then these kinds of planning objections wouldn’t occur.
If I recall, this goes back a few decades. Local councils had extensive control over planning, but the councillors abused these powers and extracted various forms of kickbacks, brown envelopes etc. in exchange for granting or withholding permissions. It was quite bad, but was one of the few instances where cross party cooperation flourished, with a party from one constituency supporting or opposing various planning measures in exchange for reciprocal assistance from a party in a different area, so as to obfuscate any attempt to link the paper trail to its actual beneficiaries.
It got so bad that central government had to step in and assume control in order to prevent local government from becoming embroiled in massive corruption scandals and losing public confidence and support.
Perhaps this decision wasn’t so batty as it might seem, but was merely the result of local planning ‘traditions’ being played out at central government levels.
It feels like old boomers living in the current houses just don't want a construction site next to them.
Good video - the planning and housing stuff is definitely where this page is at its best
Just a minor fact-check on the idea that "right now, objectors can put pressure on councillors to oppose developments" - councillors aren't involved in specific planning permissions for this exact reason. Voting on the overall development plan for the council is a "reserved" function that councillors vote on, but implementing the plan (eg planning permission decisions) is an "executive" function and so would sit in the council office, away from councillor or political influence.
Not in the rich areas who can afford lawyers etc… in poor areas …. Build in mass!!
One of the problems with this government is an unwillingness to conduct research or listen to experts and that's the case across all departments.
Honestly, i dont fully blame our government or councils for our housing crisis
I blame our own residents too.
In the middle of a serious housing crisis, people object to it because it will have negative impacts on Killarney National Park... but the rest of the town doesn't??? This isn't even the stupidest case of the public objecting to badly needed housing was here in Limerick
Last year, a plan was unveiled for an 8 story apartment building on Mallow Street. It was massively objected against because it was "too tall"... 8 stories??? Too tall??? What are these people smoking???
And also for those of you who are well good at geography, you'll also know that Mallow Street is also where riverpoint is... the tallest building in Limerick and one of the tallest in Ireland and is like 3 times taller 🤦
And we wonder why we have a housing crisis... sure maybe the government would build more housing if we actually let them and not make up some retarded reasons as to why we cant build it
You make some good points, however you skated over the fact if new housing is constructed in an area, then the children brought up in those houses will grow up to find there are no jobs for them to apply for when they leave school! In some ways, it is kinder not to build the housing and lay out the false promise of employment. Thanks for uploading.
I recently did work for a hotel in Killarney that are building homes for staff because they simple cannot get housing in the town.
Honey! New Polysee episode just dropped!! Would you think of exploring topics like millitarization, the irish language revival, and rewilding ireland?
I shared ur channel on my channel.. Great channel keep up the good work
Much appreciated, cheers
More houses are needed if Ireland wants to attract more talent. I'm an immigrant myself, and Ireland is the hardest and most time-consuming place to buy and build (obviously I'm on the buyer's side) property compared to what I spent in the NL and Turkey. With the current planning and legal system, supply will never satisfy the current and projected demand.
House prices seem to be way more expensive in the south than up north
I live in a fashionable wee village about 10km from a “proper” town. Next door sold for €895k last week. It’s a 3 bed bungalow. Well, 2 and a box room. Has a nice view but that’s insanity.
@@Dreyno that's insane....I bought a two bedroom timber frame house few years ago up here for 75 k in 2018....not a palace but nice enough... mortgage cheaper than renting, about 40 mins from Belfast
another banger from polysee, though the comparison between Ireland's planning permission and us states at 10:08 is a bit contrived in my opinion
Thanks. Population wise Ireland would be a mid-sized US state, and we both have common law systems, hence we felt a comparison with US states was fair
@@polysee I second the dislike of the comparison between US states and Ireland, mainly because building practices in the US largely favor car centrism. I’d rather see a comparison with similar towns in continental Europe to help contextualise.
That said, great video overall!
I’m not even Irish but I’m getting similarly dogged by the rents. NIMBYs are my bane.
At 1:55, you mentioned that large scale plans were able to bypass local governments and submit directly to the national board. Would they normally have to get approval from the local government before they could apply to the national government?
Developers aren’t without blame either. Sitting on land banks and eking houses onto the market to keep prices high.
At 15:00: a “real home” compared to a “modular home”? Does modular housing in Ireland equate to what we call trailer or mobile homes in the U.S.? Modular housing in the USA is basically factory built that’s assembled on a permanent foundation & essentially indistinguishable from a stick/site-built house.
I really like these videos and the topics they touch on so please permit me some devil's advocacy here - while I do believe that we are too centralised, Im not fully convinced how giving local governments power to legislate will reduce NIMBYism. Even in the studies shown, we are the worst of a bad bunch, and the other examples shown are significantly more devolved. For example, the US has local governments staunchly opposing rezoning and affordable developments (iregardless of party lines as shown by Andressen). I think giving power to local developments could improve the situation SLIGHTLY, but still leave it pretty bad. All you have to do is look at owners /neighbourshood associations - are the members homeowners or renters usually?
I think we need to essentially scrap the ability to appeal for most of these objections as long as buildings are up to code and consistent with the set out housing development plan.
Hope to spark some friendly discussions here :)
Another brilliant video about Ireland’s shameful planning regulations and lack of foresight. Would be great if more people were interested in the Danish style cohousing model. Sustainable communities (with your own privacy if you want) and lifelong companionship for a growingly lonely population. 🙏🌍🌱
(An expat with no chance of returning to a disaster of a country)
How clever the Irish govt were to advertise their own-door accommodation policy in various languages re. offering free Bed & Board plus work-permits in Ireland to unlimited numbers of working age single men and their families and to introduce planning exemptions for buildings nationwide, plus providing rapid-build modular homes at €443k a pop on swathes of state land, so that local communities will not have a veto on tens of thousands of non-Irish nationals who can work alongside them in the Irish economy while living rent-free with all needs fully catered for! Thank you Roderic O'Gorman!
Great video displaying how ridiculously hard it is to build anything in this country. I'm not sold that local government will suddenly dampen the objection culture and produce greater results.
Ultimately we give a huge amount of power and civil liberty to locals who have many options to implement the stop and stall strategy you discussed in this video. Truly a broken system in place which needs to be stripped down and built up from the start, not adjusted or adding another civil department
The problem is actually too many regulators who have conflicting regulations.
And all too common developers wanting developments that suit them not the area or its needs.
Yeap, it’s usually silly zoning laws that hold back housing.
uk and ireland, too much nimby power and nothing changes in terms of this
"doesn't keep with the towns rustic asthetic and height" in ireland this means it was 3 floors high lmao, who cares what the houses look like do you want cheaper housing?
I am all in favour of greater local autonomy for most things but I am not entirely convinced that somewhere like Killarney , probably the jewel in the crown of Ireland's natural heritage regions, can be left entirely to local business and political interests. These are the same people who wanted to install mechanised chair-lifts in Killarney National Park at one time I believe. And who generally see things like National Parks as a money making opportunity rather than as something whose primary purpose is to preserve wildlife.
Killarney has long been over-developed in my opinion, with far too many hotels for such a small town. Tourism might be the biggest employer but it can easily ruin a place if allowed to. The very thing that most tourists come to see, Muckross House and the National Park, is basically hemmed in by the town on the eastern side with the main road into the park lined with hotels and guesthouses all the way to the Park gates.
Blaming "bats" for a housing shortage is a bit like fishermen blaming seals for a scarcity of fish. Everyone knows that the problem is human demand.
Maybe Ireland needs to reexamine it's open door borders policy first? Or is that too politically sensitive?
We have already sacrificed our culture to globalisation, must we sacrifice what is left of our natural heritage also?
Enda Kenny borrowed 200 billion euro in order to stop house prices crashing further, back in 2012 and used the rest to pump inflation back into existing housing stock. In order to keep this new bubble from deflating as soon as all this stimulus went in, he needed to patch a few holes. In other words he had to stop houses from being sold in order to impose scarcity on the market. So, he used the courts to forgive debt rather than issue foreclosure orders which would have given buyers more choice and lower prices. He passed legislation to make the repossession of properties in mortgage default so difficult that the banks he forced us to bail out were not allowed to retrieve their properties but had to settle for less by letting foreign vulture funds have them instead. This is why we need an economic depression. If the government cannot afford to maintain it`s bubble in house prices, the market will naturally seek out true price discovery. The geopolitical shifts in the world economy are promising to shake things up, so there is reason to be optimistic if you are waiting until the housing market presents buyers with low prices again. To protect it`s bubble, the government does not want people to be aware of the real reason for the housing crisis, i.e. it`s policy. So, it pushes the narritive that it is all about a shortage in new houses. But, don`t worry. Even though everyone believes this government lie, the truth will be known soon enough for it is about to overwhelm the government`s ability to hide it.
Fantastic video🔥🔥! I have incurred so much losses trading on my own....I trade well on demo but I think the real market is manipulated.... Can anyone help me out or at least tell me what I'm doing wrong??
Trading on a demo account can definitely feel similar to the real market, but there are some differences. It's important to remember that trading involves risks and it's normal to face looses sometimes. One piece of advice is to start small and gradually increase your investments as you gain more experience and confidence. It might also be helpful to seek guidance from experienced traders or do some research on different trading strategies.
If you are trading without a professional guide... Ah, I laugh, because you will stay where you are or even suffer huge losses that will prevent you from trading, this has been one of the biggest problems for new traders.
I think l'm blessed if not I have met someone who is as spectacular as expert mrs Janet..
Highly recommended🙌
Wow, I'm surprised to see Janet mentioned here as well. I didn't know she had been kind to so many people
I'm also a huge beneficiary of her..
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trade benefits
Imagine if 50 year's ago they had the same housing policy's as today!
i live here
I live in Switzerland where developments are voted on, only way to go.
Dear god! And I though the SF Bay Area was bad!! This is industrial/professional strength planning BS. An Bord Pleanala is not fir for purpose. Common sense needs to prevail. As a person commented in the local newspaper "the bats will be just fine".
Tax is the only way out of this, make owning property for a living a thing of the past, start taxing income from rent and use the revenue to build more affordable housing. Ideally we'd get it to a point where owning a second home would be rare and owning a third would be unheard of.
people are much more accepting of things that happen via markets (house prices go up), than happen via visible human decision (council gives planning permission for house next door)
Why does Killarney have a Port Road? There’s no port. It’s nowhere near the sea.
Edit: Googled it. They reckon it refers to the river bank. 🤔
They just don't miss
Absolute robbery for houses, youd want to be a millionaire to live comfortably in ireland
I know plenty of retirees living mortgage-free in lovely houses in nice areas, with a holiday home and two nice cars as well - all of which they could afford after raising a family on one income. Now their grandchildren can't find a single poky room to rent near the college they want to attend. Students are paying €600 per month for a single bed in a room shared with two other lads. But these well-off pensioners are totally out of touch. I listened to one of them griping recently about her plight of having to put up with all her husband's golf gear clogging up the hall in both of their nice 4-bed houses
But.. before the famine the population was higher! Never mind that back then two entire houses for a 2-person household on a single pension was unheard when households consisting of 16 people subsisted on potatoes in a one-room cabin in absolute poverty and squalor - not enjoying the same high standard of living to a ripe old age on nice big pensions for decades while availing of free public healthcare
Excellent 👏
Save the bats, they're much better than a lot of the wildlife that's coming in at the moment.
having houses, not allowing others to have houses. great-minded people, they r not thinking that one day their kids will need a place to live.
Good God! If I didn't know better, or found myself unable to get through a few minutes of the video without flinging the phone across the room in anger, I might easily have fooled myself into thinking this was ragebait! The planners spend, what, 5 years f••ka7sing around - and when they _do_ eventually knock it back, it is on the grounds of (amongst other things) bats that don't come anywhere near the place, and the drearily predictable veto on some of the proposed building heights...
I don't have any copies of what the developers were proposing, but I scrutinized the video in vain for any images or descriptions of the high - rise elements in the plans... I do see some 4 - storey blocks -- technically, what is called _'low~rise'(!)..._ They look as depressing as all get out, of course; the sort of place that ought to include a year's prescription to the SSRI of your choice - and that's based just on the _proposals!_ But this is about height, not aesthetic considerations, and tower blocks, these are not. (The aesthetic considerations are no doubt covered elsewhere in the Board's rejection! It was to my surprise and the local council's credit that they actually _backed_ the proposals, blandness - to - the - point - of - ugliness notwithstanding, considering that Kerry is a very rural county which makes much of its living from tourism, a great deal of that by Americans of advancing years and conservative tastes, looking eagerly about for thatched cottages fitted with half - doors, turf (peat) smoke issuing from the chimney...) Even _Westport,_ as chi~chi a town as I've ever been to in Ireland, and only a fraction of Killarney's size, has substantial blocks of flats 5, and, I think, 6 storeys high. To be fair, the blocks I'm thinking of are conversions of longstanding warehouses; but they are substantial in size. I don't know when the conversation to residential use was permitted, but nowadays, given the choice between dereliction and homes vibrant with life, the planners would probably opt for dereliction, if not out - and - out demolition, especially given that they are in an area even _more_ picturesque, if that's possible, than Killarney! And yet, are these structures grossly out of place, as one might imagine? They are not - indeed, if anything, they complement their setting. It didn't hurt, of course, that these buildings were erected at a time when people _genuinely_ gave a crap about the way things looked, no matter that they were only ever intended to be warehouses!
I'm at risk of getting sidetracked into the more aesthetic aspects here, but my point is that if we can have apartment blocks of this size in what is a village, essentially, at the foot of Ireland's Holy Mountain, without my ever having been aware in all the time I lived there of a groundswell of opinion against them - what is so different about Killarney? Why does _it_ get an out?! No one's proposing a repeat of the unlamented St. Michael's Estate (Inchicore) or the old Ballymun Scheme here - Hell, they were wrong for _Dublin,_ even if their height was only a problem because the (then) Corporation cheaped out on everything else - but why do we have to have this unremitting whinge of 'Too _High!'_ 'Not in _Keeping!'_ *every - single - time* someone proposes something bigger than a garden shed in this country?!
And it's the same thing when it comes to the wildlife! As alluded to both in the video and the comments, never did the birds, or the bees, or the sycamore trees have a more staunch or more fervent ally than the NIMBY who spots a manger it can have a nice lie~down in (whether it wants one, or not; obviously!)
Such a great shame that that Chinese bat that was the cause of all that trouble a couple of years back, when "Oul' bug was going around", hadn't been a resident of Ireland, or better yet, Co. Kerry, where far from mischief - making scientists wielding butterfly nets, they wouldn't have been bothered by so much as a _street light_ within a kilometre! I would happily bet a week's wages that prior to the proposal of the particular development or scheme in question, half of these great ecologists wouldn't even have been _aware_ of the existence of whichever species, the Horseshoe - Something - or - Other - Bat in this case, whose very _being_ is in such jeopardy... and the efforts of the developers dashed, not to mention the hopes of all those 20 and 30~somethings living with family or in houseshares (if not actually on the street!); their conservation work complete, these same Oh - So - Virtuous Environmentalists can go back to blocking the drains with wet~wipes and fouling the recycling with chicken carcasses!
Apparently, (I read in the comments), things have actually gotten to the point where all of this nonsense is actually starting to wear thin with _genuine,_ bona fide ecologists - presumably because it is in danger of drawing their discipline into disrepute!
There is another issue, much in the news and in social media at the minute, which rather affects the housing situation which I fear to specifically name here for reasons long term commenters will well understand! I'll just say, it relates to "people's comings and goings"! Now, let me say straight out of the gate - as far as any individual coming to this country is concerned; I have no problem with anybody based on where they're from, what they look like, who they pray to (or not), etc, etc, providing they come here with honest and benevolent intentions; a general willingness to bring something and contribute, put their shoulder to the wheel, etc - or at the very least, not be 'weakening the structure', so to speak.
OK, all well and good... The other side, notwithstanding the individual and perhaps much - needed skills people are bringing to the table, is that, as some commenters more blunt in their approach might put it: "Ireland is full"! (They usually capitalize the 'full' part, of course!) It's unfortunate, it shouldn't be the case -- you look at the Netherlands, 20 million people in a country the size of Munster! -- but it is. This 'coming and going' may be good for the country's economy as a whole, people can argue about whether or not it benefits the cultural life of the country, but it seems hard to argue against the fact that for the country's working class, to be in favour of all this movement, in the numbers in which it is happening, is akin to a turkey voting for Christmas, in housing (and employment) terms. This goes as much for your 'Digital Nomad' types, btw, as it does the families you see in those ethnic supermarkets and food shops! As distasteful and seemingly off - topic as it may be, I bring this up because for all that it is a paradox - "You can't talk about it, even as you can't escape people banging on about it!" - because things have reached a point where it _has_ to be part of the discourse, so much so, the dogs in the street are talking about it! Things have gotten to the point where opposing camps (no pun intended) of homeless people are fighting for space alongside the canals to pitch their tents! In that context, I _have_ to bring it up. Ireland is of course in all this the subject of geopolitical forces over which we have very little control. The issue is so politicized and polarizing that in many ways the subject is best avoided, and people as they row about it tend to forget that there are people's lives central to all this, not least our own people's; and the whole... arena... is filled with bad actors. As with so many things, though, this is an issue which is highly (and I use this word very advisedly) _intersectional!_ Certainly it is inextricably bound up with planning. Of course planners don't dictate the policy for anything other than planning, and they certainly don't legislate, but in this, as with the larger issue of housing, there is the sense that they are dangerously behind the curve. I think it's also worth saying that I believe that with all the 'sturm und drang' around the issue, this is, to say the least, useful for certain elements who would use the smoke thrown up to hide many other issues that are cogent to the question of how a country with such a small (if rapidly growing) population is so unable to house it's people! There is much that is badly wrong with the state of the Irish planning system but I would suggest that one of the things wrong with it, and unfortunately you can't legislate for this, is that the planners don't have to live with the consequences of their decisions! I would question how many of them, or their children, have spent literally decades on a list for a council house (remember them?!); how many of them have jostled for a place in a queue just to see _the ads_ for places that have already been let before the papers have even come off the presses... How many have lived in a single cramped hotel room with small children... How many of them have had to bung a profiteering landlord a couple of months extra rent to secure some already egregiously overpriced kip, or live in dread of their sleazy and intimidating advances because they literally have noplace else to go? If I can sum it up, Ireland is a country where far too many people are writing cheques that they know (or _should_ know) other people's a7ses will have to cash!
Do planning objectors, have their legal fees paid for if they have a successful objection on environmental grounds ?
Yes I believe so, Peter Sweetman is a famous example. He's kept a necessary bridge where I live from being built for the last 15 years, and I believe galways bypass too but not sure on that one, it's a joke, extremely undemocratic to give one neurotic head case all this sway over everyone else's lives
@@liamsweeney4754 have you seen the recent case where glenveagh (developers) are bring a couple in county Meath to court over serial objections, ruling could set a new precedent
Immigration is the biggest cause of housing shortages
The only way to make sense of this nonsense is to accept that the 60% who own homes are utterly determined to protect their property values, preventing new builds, even at the expense of a) making the country unattractive to FDI on which it depends, b) encouraging growth of right wing extremists who feed off the anger of working class ppl who are never going tonbe able to own, and will rent for life, and c) their own children, who will need ro emigrate, in order tonafford a house in another country.
Nothing will change until a majority of ppl force change.
It's perception. Building new homes on public land, won't hurt existing home owners. In fact, a case can easily be made that without new houses, the economy will stall, and existing home owners will suffer eventually.
The govt needs to assuage the fears of home owners. New homes are NOT a threat to your family's net worth.
You're acting like this is just an Irish issue. It's global. I live in Australia ,one of the most sparsely populated countries in the world and house prices here are through the roof. Insane prices for shit houses.
That's a great video and contains a lot of truths, although - to play devil's advocate - he's using only one example. There would be lots of times that local authorities refused planning permission which were then subsequently overturned by An Bord Planeála.
Build traditional architecture. People don’t like new ugly neighborhoods
My sister lives in Galway in a detached house with a large garden. Her college-educated adult children have emigrated, bar the youngest aged in his early twenties but she expects he will emigrate as he has no prospect of affording a roof over his head or to start a family. She is very supportive of the govt policy of pumping billions into providing for the upkeep of unlimited numbers of asylum seekers to live rent-free in state-provided housing with their families, as she feels that providing financial handouts to these families of free benefits, supports, healthcare, housing, living expenses, etc. to enable them to make a life in Ireland is good for the economy - because the unaffordable housing market and high cost of living have made it difficult for young EU workers to fill the labour shortages in Ireland and all the young Irish working people who can't afford a roof over their head in their own country are emigrating
She will vote for more of the same from the same parties again. Sure haven't the young people always emigrated, and don't we have a 'moral obligation' to offer unlimited numbers of non-Irish families from countries with many times the population of Ireland a better future, since we are so privileged to have benefited from the struggle of our own grandparents who fought to provide a better future for us and our children in their own country after so many generations of Irish families suffered religious persecution, poverty, war, famine and emigration on coffin ships, conflict, partition, discrimination and sectarian strife..
My sister used to be like yours but not anymore.
Unintended consequences of over regulation.
"commuting bats?" What the actual f**k?
consistently high levels of immigration are not helping things either
It was a very good decision.
1st like, view and comment!
It has an immigration problem.