The number of planning permissions for new dwellings granted in Westmeath has more than halved in the past year, according to figures released by the Central Statistics Office this week.
Approval was granted to 42 planning applications for dwelling units in the third quarter of 2009, a figure which is 56 per cent lower than the 97 granted during the same period the previous year.
The total number of planning permissions in Westmeath, including those for new constructions and dwellings, extensions, alterations, and conversions also dropped significantly by 42 per cent over the year, from 209 to 121.
The trend was similar across the Midlands region, which includes Westmeath, Offaly, Longford, and Laois, where the total planning permissions granted in Q2 2009 was 398, a drop of 45 per cent from the previous year’s 725. Meanwhile there was a 52 per cent reduction in successful applications for new dwellings across the Midlands.
The figures reveal that, during the third quarter of 2009, while a total of 121 planning permissions were granted in Westmeath, there were 119 in Laois, 100 in Longford, and 58 in Offaly.
Nationally, the number of dwelling units approved fell by 44 per cent.
