The number of planning permissions for new houses in Clare has doubled in the last 12 months.
However, the levels of permissions seen in this county before the pandemic have yet to be reached.
63 planning permissions were granted in Clare between April and June of this year, which is nearly double the same period in 2020 during the first COVID lockdown.
In all, 117 developments were granted permission in the first half of 2021 – and they were mostly in the form of one off houses.
That compares to just 52 in the same timeframe in 2020 when the country was virtually shut down.
However, in the same six months of 2019, 135 permissions were granted – 15 percent more than this year’s number.
Just one private apartment was given permission to be built in Clare in the first six months of 2021, while four multi development houses were given the go ahead.
The fact that the majority of planning permissions here are for one off houses will once again throw the delayed publication of the County Development Plan into the spotlight.
Councillors voted to defer that document until 2022 earlier in the summer, with concerns having been expressed by representatives that national planning policy could lead to depopulation in Clare’s rural areas.
96 separate units in total were given permission between April and June, a number that in itself is above 2019 levels.
