New CSO figures suggest that any recovery in Clare’s construction sector remains slow.
Fewer than 200 homes have been built here in the first nine months of this year.
There’s no doubt but that there has been some improvement in construction, with 77 homes built here between July and September.
It’s the second highest figure for any quarter this decade, but this year is unlikely to see any meaningful increase in the number of homes built – so far 189 houses have been completed here, and that’s slightly behind the total for the same time last year.
A further breakdown of the figures shows just where these homes are being build.
21 homes have been completed in areas associated with the Kilrush eircode key – that includes all of Loop Head.
Seven homes have been built in the much smaller Shannon area and 125 have been built in areas linked with the Ennis Eircode key which covers much of the rest of the county.
This matches a broader trend, in that the growth of house building is largely confined to urban areas.
In the most recent quarter, 78% of new homes built throughout Ireland were in urban settings, double the rate of five years ago.
