Monday 25 August 2008

Gormley paves way to end patios

The government is considering controlling the building of garden patios, the ultimate symbol of the Celtic Tiger, following the costs of flooding in urban areas in recent weeks, Minister for the Environment John Gormley has said.

Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) chief executive Mike Kemp said a review of planning laws may require detailed attention on local building controls, such as paving over small areas of gardens that can lead to flood waters rising quickly.

Gormley had appeared to focus on the construction of large housing projects on flood plains in provincial towns, but said on Friday that the review will also include an examination of paving that could lead to floods in cities.

"The issue of the increasingly frequent trend of paving over entire residential gardens is under consideration by the department, as part of the preparation of the draft guidelines on the Planning System and Flood Risk Management," an environment department spokesman said.

Sunday Tribune

www.buckplanning.ie

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