Planning
Planning - Our Purpose.
The purpose of the Planning Section is to provide for the proper planning and sustainable development of the county, to promote and facilitate the development of sustainable communities and enterprise, and to ensure the protection of the natural and built heritage and amenity of the county.
To contact Planning Department:-
Planning Department,
Longford County Council,
Aras An Chontae,
Great Water Street,
Longford.
Email: planning@longfordcoco.ie for general planning queries
Email: submissions@longfordcoco.ie to make an observation/submission on a planning application (submission must be signed and appropriate fee of €20 must be paid in order to be a valid submission)
Telephone: 043-3343409 / 043-3344201
Opening Hours: Monday to Friday 10am-1pm and 2pm-4pm
Pre-Planning Advice and Consultation
*At present due to the lack of available resources the Planning Department cannot facilitate pre-planning meetings*
The Council encourages developers to seek pre-planning advice and consultation. All subsequent applications are processed on their merits having regard to the statutory provisions. To initiate this process, applicants should contact the Planning Authority for an application form. The service is provided on a without prejudice basis.
Processing of Planning Applications
The Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended) places an obligation to obtain planning permission for development defined under the planning legislation. The application process for planning is set out in the Planning & Development Regulations 2001 (as amended). The applications are accepted by post or by hand at the Planning Department. Applications are assessed in accordance with the statutory provisions and having regard to the proper planning and development of the area and the provisions of the County Development Plan.
Members of the public may inspect an application and make submissions/observations, within 5 weeks from the date of receipt of the application, subject to the payment of a fee of €20. This may be done by hard copy or by emailing submissions/observations to submissions@longfordcoco.ie (this must be followed by payment of appropriate fee in order to be a valid submission). The formal decision on applications is a function of the Chief Executive having regard to reports prepared by the administrative and technical staff of the Council. The applicant or a third party may appeal a decision of the Council or any conditions attached to such decisions to An Bord Pleanála within four weeks. Application forms, site notices are available or can be downloaded from the forms section of this website. The various guidance leaflets are available or can be downloaded from the Planning Leaflets section of this website.
DATA PROTECTION
It is the responsibility of persons or entities wishing to use any personal data on a planning application form for direct marketing purposes to be satisfied that they may do so legitimately under the requirements of the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003. The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner state that the sending of marketing material to individuals without consent may result in action by the Data Protection Commissioner against the sender including prosecution.
In accordance with section 38 of the Planning and Development Regulations and the Statutory Instruments S.I. No.180 of 2020, Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended), Longford County Council is legally obligated to make available all planning application documents, documents accompanying planning applications and related documents received after an application is lodged. All documents which may include your personal data shall be made available for public inspection at our offices and published on Longford County Council’s website. For further information on how Longford County Council process personal data, please refer to the Council’s main privacy statement on http://www.longfordcoco.ie/your-council/data-protection/ or email: dpo@longfordcoco.ie
Enforcement of Planning Conditions and Control of Unauthorised Developments
The Council investigates complaints in respect of non-compliance with planning permissions and unauthorised developments. The Council is empowered to pursue legal proceedings in such cases and in cases where developments generally do not conform to planning conditions. The legislative provision for enforcement is contained in Part XIII – Sections 151-164 of the Planning and Development Act 2000 (as amended).
Defamation notice
Participants in cases before the Planning Authority should be aware that comments involving allegations of any kind against a named or otherwise identifiable person or organisation may be viewed as defamatory by the subject of the comments.
Participants may be sued directly for any defamatory allegations in any appeal or submission and should avoid making such allegations. Any submissions made to the Planning Authority are generally circulated and made available for public inspection
Please note that in the event of any potentially defamatory allegation giving rise to legal action against it, the Planning Authority may seek indemnity from the person making the allegation. It should be understood that the Planning Authority is only concerned with issues relevant to the proper planning and sustainable development of the area and that personalised comments are generally not relevant to its deliberations
