PRELIMINARY BUILDING APPROVAL

Preliminary Building Approval Certificate

These Notes are not intended to give guidance on Planning Permission, as this is a complex procedure, and is the responsibility of your Architect/Engineer.

Preliminary Building Approval is the first stage in the Building Permission process, and is a Certificate that gives the owner the right to undertake building works on the site.

Initially, your Architect/Engineer must establish whether your proposed investment is within the town planning limits, or outside town planning limits, as this will have a direct bearing on what you can construct on the land.

Generally, developments outside the town planning limit will require permission from the Forestry Department and the Archaeological Department, and there has to be a 25m frontage to a principle municipal (not agricultural) road.

Once a completed Planning Application is submitted to the Local Authority, the process of Detailed Design of the building to comply with the Building Code can begin.

There are no 'short cuts' here, as in the future you may wish to sell your investment, and this will be difficult without the correct Planning Permission.

The cost of this exercise is generally 4% -5% of the total build cost.

The Preliminary Building Approval Certificate is valid for 1 year.

Other Approvals

Depending on the nature and location of the plot/property, approvals may also be required from:

• the Archaeological Department
• the Forestry Department