Appealing council contribution fees for a new build - Munster

M

macky18

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We are building a new house in Munster & the council contribution fees are 8.500e. I’m aware they are calculated in accordance with the Council's
Development Contributions Scheme (& sq footage of
the house)however Council in respect of public infrastructure and facilities benefiting development in the area of the Planning Authority.

But the, proposed development benefits from No amenities or
facilities.

In summary -
1. No water supply –We have to have a well bored , which will be of additional cost
2. No power supply -We will have to have power brought from down the road
3. No sewage facilities – We have to also install a Waste water treatment unit – This is also a condition on the planning

Does anyone know if it is possible to negotiate these fees with the council and have them decreased ?
 
Hi Macky18, you can try and but everyone has to pay these, I had to pay over €5000 myself years ago and not a service in sight (or site :) ) either. It's very frustrating and really just an earner for the council. Best of luck with the build in any case.
 
shoegal said:
Hi Macky18, you can try and but everyone has to pay these, I had to pay over €5000 myself years ago and not a service in sight (or site :) ) either. It's very frustrating and really just an earner for the council. Best of luck with the build in any case.
Click to expand...

Did you expect the council to lay pipes to provide mains water & sewerage, to build a strip of footpath and to install a public lightstand for your individual house? It's hardly sustainable.

The Council is required in law to make a contributions scheme and it's your local councillors who voted the scheme through! The purpose of the scheme is to help pay towards the huge cost of provision of and improvement of roads/footpaths, recreation and community facilities in the functional area of the Council.

You're right, your €5,000 didn't get you a bespoke individual service outside your doorstep, but the money went into a central kitty to provide/maintain playgrounds in the county, to provide and maintain public lighting in the towns and villages, to maintain and stock the libraries, to build and maintain public parks etc.

It's not an "earner".
 
If the contributions are calculated as per the development contributions scheme there is no point in either looking for a deduction or appealing it to an bord pleanala. As these fees ares signed off on by county councillors, not even the county manager could swing a deduction for you.
These fees normally go into a central pot, so you could pay your 8k and still have potholes on the road outside your house. As Daithi says you will at some stage normally use another service throughout your life such as a library, playground etc. in your broad local area.
I'd imagine you have been charged for amenity and infrastructure. If you were connecting to mains water and sewage your fees probably would have been 12 or 13k.
Incidentally, all new houses, including housing estate houses pay these fees, its just built into the cost of the house.
 
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