A Planning Authority scheme that allows property owners to pay to have their building illegalities ignored is to be extended to properties that are partially in Outside Development Zone areas. The revised scheme, which has now been opened to public consultation, would allow owners of buildings with irregularities that are classified as Category 1 Rural Settlements to apply for regularisation. Regularisation allows owners to pay a fine to have irregularities given the official green light by the PA, making it much easier for them to then sell the property. Banks generally do not approve mortgages for properties that are irregularly built. In a statement announcing the draft amendments, the PA said that it was proposing the changes at the government’s request. The changes will broaden the eligibility of a controversial 2016 regularisation scheme that allowed property owners to have illegalities approved against a payment of a fee. Originally announced as a restricted two-year plan, the regularisation scheme has been extended with each passing year and remains open to this very day. More than 19,500 applications have been filed since it was launched in August 2016. While the...
