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A formerly derelict retail unit on Grafton Street. With no local taxation income, councils were reliant on development as a form of revenue, An Taisce has suggested. Mark Stedman/Photocall Ireland

Taisce: Absence of local tax saw councils approve too many developments

The national heritage organisation says councils allowed over-development in order to cash in on new commercial rates.

AN TAISCE’S report of the national planning system has suggested that Ireland’s “obsolete” abundance of local authorities, with no direct method of local taxation, helped to contribute to commercial overdevelopment.

The report suggests that Ireland is overserviced by local councils, with 34 city or county councils, and a further 54 borough and town councils – an overpopulation which meant internal competition to approve new planning developments.

“In the absence of local taxation, these 88 councils compete fiercely for new development, with their eyes firmly on the capital contribution levies and commercial rates that result from development, leading to extremely bad planning outcomes,” the report suggests.

The report also remarks that smaller town councils were unable to justify recruiting the prerequisite number of staff to give planning applications the attention they needed.

Combined with what An Taisce deemed to be a surplus of local councillors, “resulting in patronage, clientelism and cronyism,” councils would therefore approve developments in order to raise capital contribution levies and commercial rates.

One example named is the proposal for a ‘Smart Park’ business park within a woodland on the grounds of Carton Demesne, just inside Meath’s border the Kildare.

The report details how the site had not been zoned to allow such a project, but that Meath County Council “facilitated the developer by hastily publishing and adopting a statutory local area plan which retrospectively zoned the land for the precise use the applicant envisaged”.

That application was later refused after an appeal by An Taisce.

This “rate chasing” could be avoided in future, the organisation says, by the adoption of a site value tax which would “provide a real incentive for land that becomes zoned” while also helping to deter over-zoning and the hoarding of development side.

Read: The 9 worst councils in Ireland’s planning system

Case study: Ennis: “Some of the most senseless zoning excesses of Celtic Tiger”

Pic: Ireland is Crap at Planning Map of the Day

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19 Comments
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    Mute Missyb211
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    Jul 18th 2016, 9:31 AM

    Not casting any aspersions on the driver of that car when I say this but people seem to drive oblivious to the fact that anything can happen at any time. Many people drive like they trust that the road will always be clear for them to drive at top speed. It won’t be! I’ve seen drivers hugging corners so tight and thought to myself, if someone is around that bend they’re a goner. You don’t know what’s around that corner! We are not running on some sort of machine that keeps everything running smoothly, so we have to be cautious. Expect the unexpected! “Drive with caution” is not just something for the weather people to say on a rainy days to remind you that your tires might slip!

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    Mute Deborah Behan
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    Jul 18th 2016, 1:22 PM

    Excellent comment.

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    Mute Shawn Rahoon
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    Jul 18th 2016, 2:26 PM

    Most drivers don’t know the proper procedure on how to take bends on narrow roads. Be able to see as far ahead as possible by keeping left of your lane on a right bend, and safely as far right on a left bend.

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    Mute Jumperoo
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    Jul 18th 2016, 8:52 AM

    Have to question the wisdom of always using a google maps image of a stretch of the road on which the crash occurred with this type of story. It’s more than likely a random shot of the road in the same general area, not the exact spot of the crash. For example, the pic here is of a long straight stretch of road, which would lead people to assume speed was the main factor. But the crash could have happened on a bad bend a quarter mile further on instead. Also, there was one about a crash in Wexford three weeks ago where the road in the picture was clearly not the correct road at all.

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    Mute JustMade Ireland
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    Jul 18th 2016, 9:27 AM

    yes you right it is media working with the government, people see that picture will presume speeding even drink driven given people reason to agree with the revenue speed trapping makes.

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    Mute Jumperoo
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    Jul 18th 2016, 2:57 PM

    Ah now, I wouldn’t subscribe to a conspiracy theory like that. It’s more a case of reporters just looking for a relatively handy way to illustrate a story.

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    Mute Darren Maile
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    Jul 18th 2016, 10:02 AM

    Sad story to read this morning – I wonder how well lit the tractor was as they sometimes can be hard to spot in the dark with very poor lighting or the opposite where the spot lights are blinding to motorists

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    Mute JustMade Ireland
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    Jul 18th 2016, 8:54 AM

    thoughts with this young man and his loved ones.

    Speeding drink, drink driving are only factors , they biggest factor is that one second you don’t look and and another driver dose it the same time.

    38
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    Mute Ted Logan
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    Jul 18th 2016, 9:23 AM

    RIP to the young man.

    Obviously we don’t yet know the specifics of this incident yet but, there is lots of tractor traffic on the roads this time of year. I have regularly passed tractors traveling with the front loader at car driver head height and thought if anyone was unlucky enough to crash into it they wouldn’t have a chance. Should they be allowed on the roads with loaders that low or even attached?

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    Mute Larry Doherty
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    Jul 18th 2016, 12:35 PM

    Just because its a tractor don t assume that the car driver is responsible. Tractors are not always old farmer Brown slowly ambling down to the local store for a loaf for his tae. I see many young fellas driving those large blue tractors far too fast on country roads. They have a carefree, often bullying attitude, and know they have the weight and the height. You have no chance if they hit you. Gardaí need to be more proactive about speeding with heavy loads and machinery. Have they even the correct licences, insurance, etc.

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    Mute Do the Bort man
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    Jul 18th 2016, 12:50 PM

    Loaders are not the issue, its safer to keep it as low as possible to keep the center of gravity down, and reduce the risk of the tractor over turning. If they are kept up, then they are at cab level of a lorry. Drivers need to slow down, and wait until its safe to overtake a tractor, I was almost hit head on by an idiot this weekend, overtaking a load of cars that were driving slow behind a tractor. Thankfully I have a dash cam! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEddLaT4u5c

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    Mute EighteentoOne
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    Jul 18th 2016, 3:21 PM

    I’m driving tractors on public roads for years and I can tell you some of the things I’ve seen other motorists do around me because they’re “in a hurry” are absolutely ludicrous and life threatening to themselves and Other drivers!! Tractors need and have as much right to be on the road as anyone else that can’t be changed! It’s often the attitude of car drivers that needs changing, people need to respect the size and weight of these machines and accept the fact that they travel slower then cars! I imagine in a lot of cases it’s the actions of car drivers around agricultural machinery on the roads that leads to these kind of unfortunate accidents. Sympathies to the family of this young man

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    Mute Paula Doran
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    Jul 18th 2016, 10:55 AM

    My question would be why would a tractor be on the road at that hour of night. You wouldn’t expect it.

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    Mute Fozz
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    Jul 18th 2016, 12:34 PM

    Agreed, but as a driver you should be always expecting the unexpected.

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    Mute Larry Doherty
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    Jul 18th 2016, 12:37 PM

    Paula, I see several of them racing up and down our road until 3.00 am some mornings when they are bringing in hay.

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    Mute Do the Bort man
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    Jul 18th 2016, 1:28 PM

    Sunny spell after a few weeks of showery weather, farming contractors will be working long hours while the weather is good.

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    Mute dannykiernan
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    Jul 18th 2016, 11:49 AM

    Tractors are baling hay right now.

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    Mute James Costello
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    Jul 18th 2016, 8:38 AM

    Shocking

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    Mute James Darby
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    Jul 18th 2016, 12:56 PM

    Not making any assumptions concerning this accident but I seem to remember a regulation being brought in some years ago that tractors travelling on the public road must have a flashing amber light on the roof. Seems like common sense to me even if it’s not a legal requirement, yet I see tractors every day even in poor light without it.

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    Mute Larry Doherty
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    Jul 18th 2016, 1:49 PM

    An orange light is not much help when this large blue thing is charging at you taking up the whole road. No problem in seeing it but can he see you??

    5
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