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20,000 Donegal properties
lying empty
09.08.07
NEARLY 20,000 houses,
holiday homes and apartments are lying empty in
Donegal, latest figures show.
The Central Statistics Office table reveals that
approximately 9,500 houses, around 8,500 holiday
homes and around 1,400 apartments are vacant
throughout the county.
An angry Green Party yesterday attacked Donegal
County Council on its social and affordable housing
record.
"Donegal's average is 27% of empty dwellings against
a national average of 15%.
With 2971 on the housing waiting list are we
demanding our fair share of
social and affordable housing under the Planning and
Development Act 2000
which stipulates that 20% of housing developments
should be social and affordable
housing," said the party's Donegal spokesperson,
Frank Gallagher.
"Last year, there were 4,387 houses built in Co.
Donegal of which 4,172 were private houses and 215
social houses - clearly a deficit of 661 social
houses."
Mr. Gallagher highlighted a High Court decision last
month obliging developers to provide more housing
units to meet their social and affordable housing
quota under the planning regulations.
"The decision by Mr. Justice Frank Clarke in
proceedings relating to housing
developments of some 149 units in Dublin and some
244 units in Glanmire, Cork, is regarded as a major
victory for local authorities in seeking to provide
social and affordable housing in their areas," he
added.
"I would like to congratulate Cork County Council
and Dun Laoghaire RathDown
Council for standing up to developers and looking
after the interests of their constituents," he
added. |
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