No changes to modular home rules in Meath... for now

Current planning regulations around modular style structures in home gardens remains in place despite expected changes to regulations later this year according to a senior planner in Meath County Council.

The easing of planning regulations to allow for larger unattached structures to be built in people's back gardens are expected to be in place by the end of this year.

Currently homeowners can build a 40-square-metre extension to their property, and a standalone structure of up to 25 sq.m, without planning permission.

However, the Government is proposing to increase the standalone structure size limit to 40 sq.m.

Senior Planning official with Meath County Council Padraig Maguire told councillors that so far, the issue is just "headlines."

"We have no detail, I think that is important to say," said Mr Maguire.

"There are new regulations being drafted for the new planning act and I am one of two senior planning staff in the country who sit on that committee that is taking part in drawing up those new regulations and exempted development is one of the key issues that is being looked at," he added.

"In plain language our current policy is that we have seen modular homes put into gardens but they must be connected to that house. That is a policy of ours, it is a policy consistent probably with every local authority in the country.

"If the government department choose to change that, then we would have to change both our development plan and the policy itself.

"The reality is currently that if somebody has a modular unit in their garden that doesn't have permission, we have in fact, enforcement action on some of those because that's the law at this point in time. We are working with the policy we have at the moment until those exempted development regulations are changed."