The rate of reversal of planning permission decisions by Clare County Council is far higher than the national average according to the annual report of the Office of the Planning Regulator.
In its Annual Overview of the Planning System 2021 it found that 4.4% of the decisions made by the Council were appealed, and of these 46.7% were reversed; the national average was just 27.7%.
Another notable figure from the report was the finding that Clare County Council had a total of 164 sites designated as vacant and/or derelict; this contrasted with a figure from the Central Statistics Office for the county of 6,104.
The report also showed that in 2021, 94% of planning applications were approved by Clare County Council, with just 6% refused.
Clare County Council approved 1,157 applications during the year, with just 68 refused. The Clare approval rate is considerably higher than the national one, which is 88.5%.
Commenting on the findings, Planning Regulator, Niall Cussen said: “2021 was a year in which local authorities such as Clare County Council continued to deliver key statutory planning functions within strict timelines and in an operational environment that was challenging due to public health restrictions imposed as a result of the Covid pandemic.
“It is a great credit to the planning process in general that high levels of throughput in handling planning applications and appeals continued despite the pressures.
“While core planning functions continue to experience high volumes of activity, more is also being asked of local authorities.
“2021 was also a year of very significant activity by local authorities in starting to implement funding streams aimed at securing urban and rural regeneration. However, a critical function to such investment will require concerted action on vacant and derelict buildings.
“While core planning functions continue to experience high volumes of activity, more is also being asked of local authorities.”
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.