The Gazette 1967/71

that if planning permission is refused in certain instances it will create a problem for the Land Commission. If, for instance, sub-division permis– sion is granted for an area of ten or twelve acres for, say, a caravan site, and the planning authority refuse planning permission, the developer wil' obviously sell these lands. They may well be purchased by an individual who will claim he is an uneconomic landholder and be back again with us looking for extra land or migration. You will therefore appreciate that this whole matter is not at all simple from our point of view. I have, however, given very careful considera– tion to the points made by both yourself and Mr. Plunkett and appreciate that under the existing ruling difficulties are arising with your profession in certain cases. I am accordingly authorising a change in our procedures so that the letter of consent will merely contain a warning clause specifying that the consent will not imply that planning permission will be forthcoming for any development of the lands in question. Because of the implications for my Department for the reasons set out above, I have taken this decision with some misgivings. I am accordingly only authorising this change for a period of twenve months when I will review the situation in the light of the experience gained. Le fior mheas, Micheal O Morain.

CORRESPONDENCE

re: Land Commission Sub-division Applications

P. O'Donnell, Esq., T.D., President, The Incorporated Law Society of Ireland, Leckbeg, Burtonport,

Letterkenny, Co. Donegal.

Dear President, I refer to the recent interview with you and Mr. Plunkett, Secretary of the Incorporated Law Society, in connection with the condition as to planning permission in Land Commission letters of consent to sub-division. I regret that due to pressure of work I could not communicate with you before now. Since your interview, I have had the matter fully examined by the Land Commission. We took the view here that it was necessary to impose the existing condition for the protection of pur– chasers who might assume that because they got permission from one Government Department an– other State Department would automatically sanction their plans. You will apprediate that their Sub-division Application Forms specify the purpose of the sub-division and their proposed use of the sub-divided lands. We also have the view, which we still .hold,

Minister for Lands. 25 Bealtaine 1967.

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