Planning applications up 50% on last year

The total number of planning applications for the beginning of the year for the county has dramatically increased, planning authority figures show.

For the first two months of the year a whopping 50% more applications have been submitted than for the same period last year.
According to the planning office at Cavan County Council there were 39 applications for developments received in January 2016, compared to 28 in January 2015 - an increase of 39%, year-on-year.
For February 2016 there was an even bigger percentage increase with 55 in total coming in compared to 36 for the same month in 2015 - up 61% - leaving the average increase at 50%. Marice Galligan, acting senior planner with the council says that applications are up across the board.
“The planning authority has seen an increase in not only application numbers received over the past year for new developments, but also an increase in pre-planning meetings and queries in relation to new developments of both commercial and residential nature,” says Ms Galligan
“As can be seen from the statistics above there has been a significant increase in the number of dwellings submitted from 2015 to 2016. Of particular interest in February 2016 is that there has been the lodgement of six applications in February for the completion or extension of existing housing estates.
“This is a welcome situation from the planning authorities’ perspective, where existing unfinished housing estates are being completed or extended. The investment in the development of residential properties in the county has been slow for a number of years and this interest in extension or completion of housing estates is an important factor in the recovery of this market in the county.
“There has also been an increase in the number of commercial applications lodged, from four in Feb 2015 to six in Feb 2016. This, again, is a very welcome increase in terms of economic activity and the planning authority welcome commercial investment in the county.”