The threatened refusal by Clare County Council to grant planning permission for 11 houses which were to resettle families in rural depopulated areas has been criticised as a 'black day' by Jim Connolly of Rural Resettlement Ireland.
The applications were part of Rural Resettlement's voluntary housing programme spread over five sites in west Clare.
They were being built to bring families into depopulated areas.
In one case the Board of Management of Tullycrine national school near Kilrush had asked the organisation to build near them to save the school from closure.
With just 12 pupils it could lose a teacher in September unless it can halt the loss of children for the school.
Two of the houses have been refused permission outright and in nine others the council has indicated it does not look favourably on any of the sites.
The council has quoted wastewater management and health and safety issues as grounds for refusal.
Mr Connolly said the anticipated 100% refusal is extraordinary given the Government's clearly stated concerns for depopulated rural areas.
