A MAN WHO was threatened with jail or a €5,000 fine for retrofitting his home has been granted retrospective planning permission.

Clive Ryan had put new insulation in the wall at the front of his home in Kilnamanagh in the Ballymount area of Dublin in 2018.

With the help of councillors, Ryan applied for planning permission. He said today it’s a “huge relief” to get it.

Earlier this year, he received a letter from South Dublin County Council telling him that he had to “cease and discontinue the use of the insulation” and to “remove the insulation and, in so far as is practicable, reinstate the facade to its condition prior to the commencement of the development”.

Otherwise, under the terms of the Planning and Development Act 2000, he could face a fine which can reach up to €5,000, or even a jail term for up to six months.

He had received a grant worth more than €4,000 to help pay for the costs from the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. The other €13,000 came from his own pocket.

Clive Ryan outside his Kilnamanagh, South Dublin

‘Huge relief’

Ryan believes the publicity around his case, as well as the support of local representatives, ultimately helped him.

“We tried ourselves and I don’t think we would’ve got any further with it … I was down an avenue I’d never been.”

Ryan says, despite the arduous process to get planning permission, he still recommends people retrofit their homes.

“I think it’s brilliant,” he said. “It brought down our bills significantly.”

When Ryan spoke to The Journal in March, he said he found the case “baffling”, explaining that while the insulation expanded the facade of the house, it is not visible when looking at the home.

“It probably moves the house forward a few inches – that’s what the insulation does. 

“The rest of the house is done like every other house. The insulation is just around the window.”

While some forms of insulation and solar panels are exempt from planning permission, the situation with insulation for external walls is not so cut and dried.

The Green Party is calling on the government to make it easier for people to install new energy-efficient insulation.

“It’s hard enough for people to take time out of their busy lives to begin the process of a home retrofit. Government, including local councils, should be making it as easy as possible,” a spokesperson said.

As well as the planning exemption, the Green Party wants specific grants tailored for neighbours to retrofit together, to speed up retrofitting around the country and lower household energy bills.

Mark Lynch, a Green Party councillor for the Rathfarnham-Templeogue area said it needs to be made “as easy as possible” for people to retrofit their homes.