Concern voiced over lackof planning applications

SO FEW planning applications are being submitted in the Limavady Borough that all the projects given the go ahead in 2012 would not be enough to keep a “squad of men in work for a month.”

That is according to Dermot Nicholl, Sinn Féin councillor and Chairperson of the Planning Services Committee at Limavady Borough Council, who spoke at length about the lack of applications being received in the Borough.

He expressed serious concern at the extent of the problems in the construction industry in Limavady, describing the situation as “critical.” Nicholl does believe, however, that more can be done “at both local and national level” to alleviate the problems with a “creative” approach.

The local councillor made the comments while speaking on the latest ‘Quarterly Development Management Bulletin’ on planning applications, which summarises all applications from October 1 to December 31, 2011.

He said: “The current recession, particularly in the construction industry, is now in its sixth year and it easy for us all to begin to accept the status-quo as the norm. This report is a shocking wake up call.

“The number of planning applications being submitted in the North for residential and commercial development is still falling - down by 27 per cent and 54 per cent respectively on the same period last year.

“In the third quarter just over 3,300 planning applications were received which is well under half the level of four years ago when over 7,500 applications were received.”

He added: “These stark statistics accentuate the sorry tale of skilled craft men and women from the construction sector living on benefits and that is just the tip of the iceberg. The chain extends to designers, architects, building suppliers, estate agents and mortgage advisors.

“What is even more concerning is that the national average figures disguise huge double digit variances across council areas. I await with trepidation the final annual report to July 2012.”

Speaking about what needs to be done, he said: “We need to be creative both at local and national level such as Sinn Féin’s call this week for Minister Danny Kennedy to release the staggering £12.5 million which DRD Road Service hold in bonds to complete abandoned building developments.

“The situation here in the Limavady Borough is critical and has been for the last few years. At the last three monthly planning meeting which I chaired we only presented a total of 17 new planning applications - five on March 20, seven on February 21 and five on January 24.

“I have planning files for the last ten years and at the start of the previous council term it was common for scores of applications to be presented to council on a monthly basis. Of the 17 applications presented to our council in 2012 to date only nine were offered for approval by the planners.

The Sinn Féin man concluded: “One builder who I met after this month’s meeting brought it home to me when he observed that the nine Limavady approvals in total - many of them minor works - would not keep his squad of men in work for a month.”