Planning permissions fall by 50% in Donegal

The number of planning permissions granted in Donegal has halved.
Figures released today by the CSO show there were 289 less planning permissions granted by Donegal County Council in the final quarter of last year, compared to the same period in 2008.
In the last three months of 2009, Donegal County Council granted 295 planning permissions, compared to 584 in the last quarter of 2008.
This represents a drop of 289, just under 50%.
When the figures are broken down, the extent of the fall off in the housing market is revealed.
There were 114 permissions granted for new dwellings in the last three months of last year, compared to 324 in 2008. That’s a fall of 65%.
113 extensions were approved during the same period in 09, compared to 157 in 08, a drop of 28%.
There was also a significant drop in the number of retail, commercial and industrial premises given permission, with 55 last year compared to 85 in 2008, a drop of 35%.