This article is from page 14 of the 2006-06-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
YOUNG local house-buyers are being prevented from purchasing homes along Clare’s coastline by a ‘Catch 22’ situation brought about by Government policy and Clare County Council, according to Councillor Martin Lafferty (Ind).
He said that young people, driven by high house prices in coastal resorts to look for planning permission in rural areas outside the towns, were running into trouble because the council did not consider them local, under the Government’s National Spatial Strategy.
“When these young people look to purchase homes in places like Lahinch and Kilkee, they cannot because of high prices and when they look to build outside these places in rural areas, they are asked by the council to produce birth certs.”
Mr Lafferty said that the council had contributed to the high prices, by making it very difficult for anyone to secure planning permission in areas outside the resorts.
“The council is putting in place Government policy by implementing the non-local rule in these areas.”
Cllr Lafferty contrasted the plight of young home-buyers with holiday home-owners and developers along Clare’s coast. Speaking at the council’s Special Policy Committee (SPC) on Planning, Cllr Lafferty said that developers were building houses “for nothing, on account of the tax-breaks.”
Cllr Peter Considine (FF) confirmed to the meeting that he owned a holiday home, but added that the beneficiaries of the developments were the developers, through Section 27 tax incentives.
Cllr Richard Nagle (FF) said that the owners of holiday homes had done very well and dismissed any proposals that the council would help finance estate management companies for such developments.
“I can’t see why the council should have an additional financial burden to help maintain those estates,” he said.
Cllr Patrick Keane (FF) said that while the idea for holiday homes was good and there would be nothing in Kilkee without the holiday homes, they had inflated houses prices in Kilkee and Lahinch and young people couldn’t avail of tax-breaks, or concessions, unlike the investors of the holiday homes.
“There are owners of holiday homes in Kilkee who have never seen their homes.
“They have benefited very well from the tax-breaks,” said Cllr Keane.