Cllrs say no to Trim cottage

Trim area councillors will not be supporting plans to build a rural cottage at the Maudlins, Manorlands, when a planning report goes before full council next month. At last week"s Trim Area meeting, councillors said they would be recommending refusal of planning permission for the cottage to their colleagues on Meath County Council when the report comes before them. Meath County Council"s planners recommended that planning permission be granted for the cottage but local councillors raised concerns over the proposed location, saying it is a heavily wooded area and that there are overhead lines there. While area councillors are recommending refusal, the part eight planning report must go before the full council. Cllr Jimmy Fegan said: 'We have four or five good planning reasons why this development should not be recommended by the area council. We should not be behind the door in advising of those reasons.' He said this area was originally a buffer zone and that it was a heavily wooded area. 'It would be a travesty to remove that buffer zone for residents with it being so near the junction,' he said. He added that there had been a previous refusal of planning permission nearby because of the overhead cables, and said that while this planner had no problem with the cables, it had been an issue for her predecessor. 'We have to be consistent. We are obliged to forward the report on to full council but we must make our views known,' said Cllr Fegan. It was agreed that the report would be sent forward with a recommendation for refusal.