Galway Bay fm newsroom - County councillors have been venting their frustration at the high level of planning refusals across Galway.
A meeting this week heard claims the system seems to be set up to "screw" the public.
Planning wasn't expressly on the agenda at this week's meeting of Galway County Council but quickly came to dominate discussions at County Hall.
There's frustration among councillors at the high level of refusals, inconsistency in planning decisions, and the difficulties facing those trying to build in their local area.
A key concern is the rejection of clusters of 5 homes or less in rural towns and villages, despite the county development plan specifically backing such developments.
Councillor Ivan Canning said so much time, effort, frustration and money can be spared if there's more focus on pre-planning meetings.
Councillor Declan Geraghty went a step further and said the system seems to be set up to screw the public rather than help them.
County CEO Jim Cullen took exception to that remark and said planning staff are doing a very difficult job with limited resources and huge workloads.
He said he appreciates councillors venting their frustration but advised planners cannot simply grant permission for everything and have to work within guidelines.
He added while it's easy to focus on one reason for a planning application being refused, there are typically several factors involved.
