Hi bitsnbobs
I assume you are seeking permission in a rural area. It is the policy of most Local Authorities to only permit applicants to build in rural areas who are an intrinsic part of the rural community. Who is eligible is based on a number of factors; owning a house somewhere else is often enough to negate any eligibility you may have. This is normally stated in their policy or it may be less formal factor in their assessment.
What exactly were the reasons for the refusal? You say you sent in documents stating that you had to sell the other house you own outside of Meath; was this just a statement to that effect or did you send in proof, maybe of a finalised sale? I have dealt with cases where the Local Authority ask if other property is owned, then do their own land registry searches to ascertain if the information supplied is correct. If that another property comes up in your name, then from their perspective you no longer qualify, depsite any claims you have made.
The best thing to do is to engage with the L.A. fully before and during the application process. Explain your situation, but they are liklely to require proof that you no longer own the other house; statements of going to sell it etc just won't do. Of course you will have to be eligible to live in the rural area on all other counts too. It is too late now as you have already been refused. However, appealing to the Board has considerable risk too. The Board may look at the case in its entirety, alongside this specific issue. Depending on the details, of course they may find in your favour or they could find a few reasons to refuse it. The Board stick rigidly to national, regional and local policy and can interpret it slightly differently to a Local Authority. Having a Board refusal on top of the Local Authority's is a bigger problem, especially if they add in a few reasons.
ONQ is right; get advice from a planning consultant based in Meath and let them assess the refusal in detail. Spending a few quid now could save you much more over the long term. It may be better to get things in order now and reapply to the COuncil.
Let us know how you get on.
PS - Local Authorities have these types of policies to a) try to maintain rural areas for people who form part of the rural community and to b) avoid rural areas becoming like large ghost communities where everyone commutes to a nearby large town or city. If people who are economically and socially connected an urban area are encouraged to reside in urban areas, the greater numbers make it easier to provide better facilities, transport etc. It is a very contentious issue - and rightly so - but this is the logic that the Government takes.
As far as they are concerned you still own a house elsewhere and as such you may not actually live in the area and sell it on or rent it etc.