What is a planning site notice and where does it go?

How it works in Ireland

The Planning and Development Regulations require an applicant to give notice of the application in a newspaper and by a notice on the land. The council will not treat the application as valid without both. The newspaper notice goes in the paper circulating in the area; the site notice is a physical sign.

Put the site notice up in the two weeks before you lodge, and keep it legible for at least five weeks after the council receives the application. That is the public submission window, and the council’s decision cannot issue in the first five weeks. If the notice blows down or fades, replace it at once and keep proof, because a missing notice is a common reason for a challenge.

The notice must be on or near the main entrance or the road frontage so a passer-by can read it from the public road. Where the land has more than one road frontage, put one at each. A notice must say who is applying, a short description of the development, and the council’s name, and state that the application can be inspected, and that submissions can be made on payment of a fee within the period. The council’s planning pages publish the exact wording; follow it word for word rather than paraphrasing.

Use a white or contrasting background, a weatherproof backing and a rigid mount, and fix it so it faces the road. Photograph it with a dated newspaper or a phone timestamp on the day you put it up and again each week. The council will want a copy of the notice and the newspaper notice in your application, and may ask for photographs if someone says the sign was never there.

On a rural site the notice may sit on a boundary that is a long way from the house plot. Place it where the public actually pass, not where it is convenient for you. Tell the nearest neighbours you are applying: it costs nothing and reduces surprise objections.

A site notice is only part of the validity checklist. Also check the fee, the drawings and the red and blue site outlines; see planning permission for a one-off house for the full list.

A common mistake

Putting up the notice early, then lodging weeks later. The notice must be dated within the two weeks before lodging. An early notice can invalidate the application and cost the fee and the weeks.