Tipperary man Sean Meehan has said that his local county council have had him “crucified for three years” as he battles to obtain permission for retention for a mobile home he placed on his own land.
Meehan, who Gript previously featured as he was facing the prospect of jail time in respect of his mobile home, said that although his case has gained a lot of attention nationally, nothing has changed for him.
He says he received the news that his application to Tipperary County Council for retention permission was refused two days ago with the council saying that his home has devalued other properties in the area as it is not up to standard in their eyes.
The mobile home is encased in wood and has the appearance of a log cabin.
Despite Meehan saying that he was born and raised in the area, the council says it is “not satisfied” that he “has demonstrated a genuine social need to reside in the locality.”
Sean’s friend Angela previously told Gript that the “stress” of the situation was “killing him”.
Speaking to Gript, he said that the only practical difference in his situation now compared to when his story was first featured several months ago is that he now has “€10,000 less” in his pocket due to the expense of the fight to save his home.
“I’m no wiser now than I was three years ago,” he said.
In efforts to recoup some of the costs involved in the fight to ‘save Sean’s cabin’ a gofundme drive has been set up.
Speaking of the support and attention he has received he said, “In the early stages it was all rock ‘n’ roll, but now, as you know yourself, you probably haven’t heard much about it,”.
The 66-year-old said he felt “completely deflated” by the council’s refusal of his application noting that they had not offered him alternative accommodation.
He expressed his dismay that 82 modular homes were in the process of being built a few miles from the home he faces losing, noting that no such help had been offered to him.
He said that following the approval for a similar application for retention in respect of a structure in the Kappa White area of Tipperary he had offered to put concrete boards on his mobile home in hopes that the council would approve it.
Meehan is next due to appear before Cashel District on the 4th of July and said he feels that he will be sent to prison for four months as he was advised by a judge at a previous hearing.
As Gript previously reported, Tipperary County Council has ordered the removal of the mobile home Meehan lives in on a piece of land he owns. Although Meehan is the owner of the land he did not seek planning permission before moving the structure onto it.
Meehan said that a family living close to him has had their application to construct a modular home for their daughter approved ‘within a matter of weeks’ saying he felt perplexed as to why his own case was taking so long to resolve.
Raising Meehan’s case before the Dáil, Deputy Mattie McGrath said that the situation was “outrageous” and that now all Meehan could do was “hope and pray” that An Bord Pleanála could help him.
McGrath has asked the government to sign a statutory instrument to allow a moratorium for people living in unconventional housing during the dept of Ireland ongoing housing crisis but so far to no avail.
McGrath questioned why the government can green light rapid build homes for Ukrainian beneficiaries of temporary protection under emergency legislation when it has not made moves to help people like Meehan.
“This man will be homeless,” he said
Tipperary county council’s refusal letter outlined the reasons for its decision in the following terms, “Having regard to the location of the development the design and nature of the structure the poor esthetic value of the structure and the likelihood of it deteriorating over time by virtue materials used in its construction and the prevailing pattern of development of the area, it is considered that the development for which retention permission is sought.
(a) would form a haphazard and substandard form of residential accommodation and gene or aesthetic value and can detract from the overall appearance of the area.
(b) result in a substandard living environment for the residents of the structure.
(c) would fail to accord with the ‘Development and Design Standards’ for residential structure it in Rural Design Guide, of the Tipperary County Development Plan 2022, by residential structures as the overall design and construction of such structure;
(d) would injure the amenities and depreciate the value of property in the vicinity; set an undesirable precedent for similar type proposals in the area.
(e) would set an undesirable precedent for similar type proposals in the area.