The Clare Champion Clare news, sport, entertainment and local notes
REDUCING planning levies on new houses and commercial developments in the parts of Clare most affected by population decline should be used as a means of helping those areas. Councillor PJ Kelly said that the Government seem to have forgotten the West of Ireland and that, if there was no levy for new commercial developments, it would encourage industries to locate in struggling areas. The Lissycasey man put forward a motion that a reduced scale of Section 48 planning levies be approved to encourage development in the worst affected areas. Referring to the most recent census, he said Kilkee had lost around 300 people, while the parish of Cooraclare, home of Bill Chambers, cathaoirleach of Clare County Council, is down by 9%. He said that while Ennis might seem to be expanding, its population was up by a marginal 2%. “If we give a zero rate for areas in decline, it can encourage industries to go in,” Councillor Kelly said. …
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