Clare County Council needs a refined planning policy to facilitate future housing developments.
Clare County Council wants to preserve beauty spots and to protect areas already under pressure from excessive development.
Clare County Council is currently redrawing its county development plan to take account of huge changes in population and development.
The council plans to restrict the building of houses in certain areas to natives of that locality.
Chairman of Clare County Council Sean Hillery says,
We are only going to consider applications for houses in very specific areas from people who are actually native of the area.
Willie Moloney, Clare County Manager, says they want to encourage people from the area to build houses in areas that have seen a population decline.
There has been criticism from An Taisce and the Rural Resettlement Organisation to this approach. There are concerns that the proposals could prohibit new long term people from coming to live in rural Clare. Jim Connolly of Rural Resettlement Ireland is concerned that the plan would deter families from moving into rural communities.
An RTÉ News report broadcast 26 October 1999. The reporter is Cathy Halloran.
