A call has been made to scrap a ‘locals only’ rule relating to the building of one-off houses in rural areas following a ruling by the European Court of Justice that it is discriminatory and illegal.
Though the EU ruled as far back as 2013 on the freedom of movement of its citizens throughout Europe, many local authorities haven’t changed their planning guidelines.
Last week Galway County Council passed a motion calling on the Minister for Housing and Planning, Simon Coveney to immediately implement guidelines in keeping with the EU ruling.
The ruling states that EU citizens and their families should be able to move freely and reside anywhere in member states.
Under the rules set down by many local authorities in Ireland though, people are prevented from building in certain areas unless they have family links to the area or have lived there for a period of seven years.
This has prevented many people from building in certain areas of the country.
While there will undoubtedly be an argument to change it, many local groups will be unhappy at the prospect of a wide range of so-called 'outsiders' moving in and overdeveloping their area.
Today we ask for your views on it.
- Should only locals be allowed build in designated areas?
- Have you been prevented from building in an area of your choosing because of the rules?
- Do you feel they should be scrapped at once as per the EU ruling?
Have your say below…
