The Murrays mounted series of appeals to keep the 6,220 sq ft home after ‘wilful breach’ of planning laws. Two decades ago, Chris and Rose Murray were refused planning permission to build a 283 square metre house on a site in Bohermeen, Co Meath. In recent days, Rose Murray has characterised that decision as a “mistake”, which seems something of an understatement. A substantial portion of Ireland’s “rural” population consists of urban workers who have chosen, or been priced into, dispersed countryside living, producing a level of exurban sprawl largely unseen elsewhere in Europe. That a council had to pursue proceedings through every tier of the courts over two decades gives a dispiriting measure of how underpowered Ireland’s planning enforcement regime remains.

Source: The Irish Times March 20, 2026 21:30 UTC