The positive and the negative of the building boom in Leitrim.
Carrick-on-Shannon is one Leitrim town which has reaped benefits from the recent economic upturn. New blocks of apartment buildings went up and housing estates were constructed thanks to tax incentives. The downturn in the economy however means that many of these are now up for sale. As one local resident tells RTÉ News,
Most of them are empty.
Many say that these tax breaks have been the driving force behind the construction boom. For Fianna Fáil councillor Francis Gilmartin this fact is irrelevant,
They will still be spending some of their own money and thank God they'll be spending it in Leitrim.
There is also debate across the county about the lasting economic benefit of the building boom. Maureen Martin from Ballinamore feels that rural regeneration will not happen on the scale people had hoped.
The rich took advantage of the tax incentive...rather than to come and live in the area.
Smithfield in Dublin is an example of how urban regeneration involving tax subventions for developers can be a success. Critics say that some rural schemes however have failed to deliver value for money. Construction of apartment blocks such as these in Carrick-on-Shannon brought employment to Leitrim, but
The question is whether they will bring people too.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 22 September 2008. The reporter is David Murphy.
