Rise in number of planning permissions approved will relieve housing shortage – Doherty

“The number of planning permission applications approved has increased by 52% since this time last year. It will take some time for the effect of these approvals to filter through the housing sector but there is no doubt that this is good news”, says Regina Doherty, Fine Gael TD for Meath East.

“Living on the commuter belt of County Meath, there is a big demand for housing but very few new builds. The number of planning permission applications had fallen dramatically in recent years with only 9,000 houses built in 2013 compared to 90,000 at the height of the boom.

“We need 30,000 houses per year so it is very encouraging to see such a sharp rise in the number of applications made this year.

“According to the CSO, in the third quarter of 2014, planning permissions were granted for 2,144 dwellings, compared with 1,409 units for the same period in 2013, an increase of 52.2%.

“The Government has committed in the Construction 2020 Strategy to supplying 35,000 additional social housing units at a cost of €3.8 billion over the next 6 years. This will create 29,000 jobs in construction and it will reform the way in which social housing is delivered and managed in Ireland.

“There is a shortage of available housing in this country and this is being felt most acutely in areas like my own constituency of County Meath. Plans are in place to address this shortage and it is very positive to see that things are moving in the right direction. I expect further progress to be made in 2015 and I am hopeful that this time next year we will see an even greater increase in the number of planning permission applications that have been approved.”