Planning and Site Assessment
Planning and Site Assessment examines how a site is tested for suitability before design and how Irish planning rules shape what may be built. Questions often combine planning status, site investigation and orientation.
Core rules
- Planning permission is required unless the proposal is exempted development; exempted limits are conditional, not automatic entitlements.
- Site assessment covers access, aspect, slope, soil bearing capacity, water table, flood risk, services, boundaries, wayleaves and zoning.
- Site investigation may use trial holes, percolation tests for on-site wastewater treatment, and levels related to a datum.
- A flood-risk check and a services check should come before layout decisions.
Worked example
A client proposes a 48 m² single-storey rear extension. The commonly applied exempted-development limit for a rear extension is 40 m², and other conditions also apply. Because 48 m² exceeds that limit, the proposal is not exempt: a planning application is needed. The correct reasoning is to compare the proposal with the limit first, then check the other conditions, rather than assuming that any domestic extension is exempt.
Traps
- Confusing planning permission with building regulations; they are separate controls.
- Ignoring a high water table or flood risk until after layout.
- Forgetting wayleaves or services crossing the site.
- Treating a slope as only a visual issue rather than a cut-and-fill and drainage issue.
Use the site plan, levels and a short written assessment to justify decisions.