This article is from page 3 of the 2005-09-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 3 JPG
CLARE County Council has refused planning permission to only ten holiday homes, from applications for over 300 tax-driven holiday homes since the start of the year.
The council confirmed in figures released this week, that it had granted planning per- mission for over 220 holiday homes in towns and villages across Clare this year, while de- velopers withdrew applications for 70 holiday homes.
Prior to the end of last year, Government tax-reliefs for tourist-related developments resulted in the council receiving planning applications in the space of a few weeks that would normally take a quarter of a century to be lodged.
The Council’s then Head of Planning, Ger Dollard said that the applications seeking to take advantage of Government tax-reliefs be- fore the Council “represent 25 years of devel-
opment”
In a number of the cases where planning applications were withdrawn, the developers would have withdrawn the plans knowing that NAB EGO ERENT IB
In many cases, holiday homes were granted planning permission on lands zoned for hous- ing, reducing the Council’s options of turning down permission.
The Council also granted planning permis- sion for 77 apartments. The permissions are now expected to provide a windfall for the lo- cal construction industry, as all units have to be complete by July of next year to qualify for iW STom EDC Duets ee
Green Party Councillor, Brian Meaney said this week: “These developments are tax- driven and unnecessary and have the potential to irrevocably change the Clare landscape as many of the applications are in sensitive coast- line areas.
Hospitality consultant of Horwath Bastow Charleton, Tim Whyte said that the deadline for completion of the units should be extend- ed and avoid there being an oversupply of rooms.
“We believe that the capital allowance scheme should be phased out over a number of years to allow time for the supply of ho- tels in the market to match demand for rooms UN RSa nae
“If all hotel builds and extensions are com- pleted by the July 2006 deadline then it is likely there will be an oversupply of avail- able rooms in the market and more hotels will come under growing financial pressure.
‘Holiday homes could be sold off after their tax life as summer/weekend houses and hotels in urban areas would be converted into apart- ments assuming that this was the most profit- able route to take. Options are available but as with most businesses, it’s largely down to management in the first instance.”