Council must level planning pitch

Dear sir - I am writing to let you and the people of County Meath know of a situation that is occurring in Ashbourne. Recently, a friend of mine wanted to build a porch outside her front door. She spoke with Meath County Council's planning department, they wanted to know the composition of bricks/blocks/rendered finish and, if so, what colour. They also wanted to know the type of roof, the pitch, the slate tile, etc. There is absolutely nothing wrong with any of this. This is normal for planners to require this information; however, these rules apparently do not apply to everybody. The town has been over-run by a group of people who received taxpayers' money to get off land they were squatting on. They are now purchasing land all around Ashbourne, they have opened half a dozen entrances, built three-metre high walls, erected electric gates, warehouses and even built houses. On this land, they have opened several retail outlets, tyre repairs, car sales, etc - all of this without planning permission. The county manager should come down out of his ivory tower and deal with this situation. He should not be hiding behind bureaucracy and legal jargon. If he doesn't have the clout, he should speak to the Minister for the Environment and the Garda superintendent to protect his officials as they carry out their duty. Meath County Council has already granted permission for a disproportionate amount of retail versus residential. A lot of these have closed down and I'm sure the rest are struggling. I would request that every retail and commercial business in the Ashbourne area write to Meath County Council informing them of their intention to hold back on the payment of rates until such time as the council level the playing field. Yours, Mary O'Brien, Ashbourne.