DONEGAL’S record on planning applications is the worst in the country, an official report said today.
Donegal County Council re-zoned land which was enough to house another 180,000 people, said An Taisce in its report.
The current population of the county stands at 160,000, according to the latest Census.
That means the council had created enough home planning for the population to more than double
It its statement An Taisce pointed out that Donegal had over 5,500 acres zoned for housing in 2010.
Despite this 50% of all new residential planning permissions over ten years was for land that was unzoned.
The best council was judged to be South Dublin followed by Dun Laoghaire/Rathdown, Galway City and Fingal.
In its report today An Taisce was damning of Donegal County Council.
An Taisce’s Charles Stanley-Smith said: “Bad planning is not victim free. The analysis shows that there is a very strong correlation between councils that have scored poorly and a range of negative socio-economic and environmental outcomes.
“For example, councils which scored poorly generally had the highest rate of residential vacancy, the highest rate of population decline and out-migration, the highest levels of unfinished ‘Ghost Estates’, lower residential property prices and significant instances of ground and surface water pollution.”
The report from An Taisce mentions the Mahon Tribunal’s final report which recommended that there be an independent planning regulator “free from political pressure”. An Taisce said it agreed with this recommendation and with one that said the National Spatial Strategy and future National Development Plans must be given proper legislation.
Donegaldaily.com understands that an official Government investigation into planning practices at Donegal County Council will be announced ‘within weeks.’
It follows internal inquiries set up by former minister John Gormley which the present Government is reviewing.
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