Offaly has third largest decline in planning applications nationwide for 2013
The latest edition of the National Housing Construction Index compiled and issued by Link2Plans (www.link2plans.com) reveals a decline for Offaly in both planning applications and project commencements at -17% and -12% respectively.
The team of researchers at www.link2plans.com have examined every housing construction planning application and planning commencement from January to December 2013, in the production of the National Housing Construction Index. The Index gives a direct comparison with the exact same period in 2012. Viewed on a nationwide basis, the National Housing Construction Index reveals there is a very slight decrease in planning applications (-1%) couple with a drop in project commencements (-4%) since last year.
Offaly reports the third worst drop in applications in the country with a fall of -17% since last year. Applications made in Offaly decreased from 155 in January to December 2012, to 128 in the same period in 2013. Compared to a decrease of –21% in applications last year, the rate of decline has slowed significantly. Counties which showed a major shift in performance since last year are: Leitrim which went from +0% in 2012 to -37% in 2013, Clare which went from -32% in 2012 to -2% in 2013 and Donegal which went from +20% in 2012 to -10% in 2013. Kildare had the most positive reversal in performance since last year, going from -34% in 2012 to +11% in 2013.
Project commencements in Offaly have also declined, with a drop of -12% for the year. Commencement increases were seen in only eight counties, with Roscommon performing the best with a +45% increase in the number of commencements compared to the same period for 2012. Nationally, last year commencements were down -8% and with a -4% decrease this year, so improvements can be seen.
According to the Managing Director of Link2Plans, Danny O’Shea, “the National Housing Construction Index shows a continuation of the slowdown in planning applications for Offaly. The slight decline overall in the National Housing Construction Index for project applications and commencements was further evidence that the construction sector in Ireland is stabilising. Also of note is the introduction of the new Building Regulations which has resulted in a sharp increase in the number of planning commencements, in order to get started on projects before the more onerous building regulations come into force.”
