This article is from page 24 of the 2008-10-28 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 24 JPG
THE amount of land zoned for hous- ing in west Clare is not justifiable on the basis of current or predicted de- mand. That is according to the Draft West Clare Local Area Plan 2009 – 2015, which also states that a third of all houses in west Clare are unoc- cupied.
Eilis O’Nuallain, Senior Executive Planner said that even with a high population growth prediction, the land identified as available for hous- ing is 903.85 hectares or 1,390 per cent more than required.
“The current pattern of applica- tions outside settlement boundaries suggest that a sizeable percentage of homes will be sought on unzoned land which will not place a demand on the quota,” she said.
Members of Clare County Council have argued that not all of this land 1s accessible. “There are people sitting on land parcels that see it as money in the bank. They do not want to sell,” said Cllr Pat Keane (FEF).
The draft plan also maintains that 597 new houses will be required in the next three years in the west Clare area, in what is described as a low growth scenario.
Senior Executive Planner in For- ward Planning, John Bradley, main- tains that in the current economic
climate the initial low growth sce- nario for the population of the west is now regarded as the high end of projections.
The low growth projection indicat- ed that by the end of the area plan the population would reach 18,191 peo- ple – an increase of 1,202 people on the 2006 census.
In a high growth scenario a popu- lation projection of 19,856 for 2015. This increase of 2,867 would require 1,019 houses to be built in the area.
As population growth is uneven throughout the area, house vacancy rates range from seven per cent to 65 per cent moving east to west.
According to the population sur- vey for 2006 contained in the plan, as many as 65 per cent of the houses in Kilfearagh and Kilkee are vacant, 55 per cent of the houses in Queerin are vacant, and 46 per cent of those in Rahona.
In its projections the draft plan maintains that Kilmhil will have a population decline of 48 people by 2015, and therefore predicts that 19 less houses will be required in the area. A population decline of 45 is predicted for Knock and 17 less homes.
Councillors said that the predic- tions and survey did not take into ac- count holiday homes and homes no longer fit to live in.