A county councillor from South Kerry has expressed his dismay at TII’s policy of issuing blanket objections to planning applications on certain routes.
Independent councillor Johnny Healy-Rae called on management to write to the Minister for the Environment and to Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) regarding its policy of objecting to planning permission on national secondary roads.
He said this is one of the biggest issues affecting Kerry, as the county has the second-highest number of national secondary routes after Cork.
Councillor Healy-Rae gave the example of a hotel operator in Waterville who applied for permission to convert an existing B&B on the Ring of Kerry into accommodation for hotel staff.
He said TII objected and planning permission was subsequently refused, despite proposals that would have reduced traffic.
Cllr Healy-Rae claimed that in areas such as Waterville it is already difficult to create and sustain jobs and businesses, which should be supported as they are vital to the local economy.
He argued that each planning application should be assessed on its individual merits rather than being subject to automatic objection.
He also expressed frustration at the lack of response to a previous request for a deputation with TII and called on the council to urgently seek a meeting to address the policy’s negative impact on development, rural sustainability and local communities.
