This article is from page 6 of the 2014-03-04 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 6 JPG
THE number of planning applications in the county were up last year, albeit by a very slight margin.
According to the National Housing Construction Index, there was an increase of two per cent in planning applications for Clare in 2013.
However, project commencements for the year showed a decline, of five per cent. The majority of the projects seeking planning or about to go to construction in the county are selfbuilds or extensions to homes.
The team of researchers at www. link2plans.com have examined every housing construction planning application and planning commencement from January to December 2013, in the production of the National Housing Construction Index.
Viewed on a nationwide basis, the National Housing Construction Index reveals there is a very slight decrease in planning applications – down one per cent, with a drop in project commencements of four per cent since last year.
Clare bucks the national trend however and with the number of planning applications made increasing by five.
From January to December 2012 there were 322 planning applications made in the county, compared to 327 for the same period in 2013.
The previous year again, 2011, there was a decrease of 32 per cent, indicating the rate of decline has slowed and there are signs of recovery in the sector.
While there was a drop in the number of builds started in Clare in 2013, the reduction was not as significant as the previous year.
According to the managing director of Link2Plans, Danny O’Shea, the National Housing Construction Index shows a positive outlook for construction in Clare.
“The slight decline overall in the National Housing Construction Index for project applications and commencements was further evidence that the construction sector in Ireland is stabilising. Also of note is the introduction of the new Building Regulations which has resulted in a sharp increase in the number of planning commencements, in order to get started on projects before the more onerous building regulations come into force,” he said.