Annual Report 2010 Publisher full - Offaly County Council

On average over one hundred complaints are received each year in
relation to unauthorised development. While some of these initially
can appear to be of a simple nature, they can develop into more
serious issues and require a considerable amount of input from the
staff, including the attendance at court. During the year, the Council
had a number of significant successes in relation to a number of
enforcement cases, many by resolution. Regular meetings are held
with the Council’s legal advisers to ensure that all cases are pursued
in a timely manner.
Appropriate Assessment Training
A one day workshop on Appropriate Assessment was organised by
Offaly County Council in conjunction with Kildare County Council,
with support from the EPA (STRIVE programme) in June 2010. The
workshop was attended by c. 55 professional and technical staff from
6 local authorities.
In accordance with Part VIII of the Planning & Development Act
2000, the following details relate to enforcement proceedings in
2010:
Warning Letters: 144
Enforcement Notices: 54
District/Circuit Court Cases: 17
Prosecutions Initiated: 26
During May to September 2010, the Department of the Environment,
Heritage and Local Government carried out a National Housing Development
Survey, the results of which were published in October
2010. They assessed all built and commenced housing developments
of 2 or more houses. The survey identified the extent & scale
of unfinished housing developments nationwide, and the basis on
which actions can be developed to address them.
All existing private housing developments in Co. Offaly were visited
in Dec. 2009 and Aug. 2010 by planning staff, in anticipation of the
D.E.H.L.G. survey. This was to ensure that we could assist, as requested
by D.E.H.L.G., in the collation & cross referencing of figures.
CFRAMS(Flooding)
Through 2010, the Planning section in conjunction with the
Environment Section has attended workgroups as requested by the
Office of Public Works (OPW) regarding the preparation of Catchment
Flood Risk and Management studies (CFRAMs) which are required to
be drafted for the entire Country by the end of 2011.
Development Contribution Scheme
A review of the Development Contribution Scheme was undertaken
in 2010 in relation to the charge for commercial developments. A
new lowered charge for commercial development was agreed at a
rate of €40 per sq. m.
Details of amounts received and disbursed as circulated to members
with the Budget 2010, are as follows:
Page 22 | Offaly County Council Annual Report 2010