Empty holiday homes stopping locals getting planning permission, says consultant

James Cox

Empty holiday homes are impacting local people's chances of getting planning permission, according to a planning consultant.

Many rural dwellers say they have spent thousands on applications for their one-off home, but aren't meeting the criteria set down by their local council.

There are a variety of reasons for refusals, including some areas being deemed "over-developed" by the local authority.

Clare-based planning consultant Andrew Hersey said some communities are dominated by holiday homes.

Mr Hersey told Newstalk: "An area is already overly-developed, overly-developed with holiday homes which are empty for most of the year.

"Those holiday homes, I feel, don't contribute to the rural area. We need more people living in the west of Ireland, especially in peripheral locations, but we don't need more holiday homes."