Rural Leitrim won’t survive without new builds
Councillor said there is concern that there are plans to discourage one-off housing in the countryside.
An urgent solution is needed to facilitate planning for one-off housing in rural parishes throughout County Leitrim before it's too late for many of our parishes, was the stark warning issued by outgoing councillor Sean McDermott at the final meeting of Leitrim County Council before the local elections on June 7.
Cllr McDermott raised the issue of depopulation in rural parishes saying there is concern that there are plans to discourage one-off housing in the countryside.
He said the population makeup of Leitrim “has always been town, village and one-off housing and for years there has been no rural houses built in many parishes.”
He continued that “only 10 houses received planning in Glenfarne in 2004, but none since 2016."
The Fine Gael councillor asked if there is a solution to facilitate planning for one-off housing “before it's too late for many of our parishes?”
He stated that these parishes “won't survive without housing,” adding that “in my own parish I know the number of children that are going to enrol in the next number of years; schools will lose teachers but it doesn't have to happen. People want to stay in the area or come back.” He said that if young people can't build a house on their parents' land, “they're gone.”
He added that concerns have been raised that a draft plan on cutting emissions in transport would see the construction of rural housing discouraged.
“If that is put into motion, rural areas won't survive,” he warned.
Full story in this week's Leitrim Observer...