Westmeath had the largest drop in the number of planning applications granted in the first quarter of this year, when compared with the same period last year.
That’s according to the latest edition of the National Housing Construction Index issued by Link2Plans this week.
The report reveals that Westmeath suffered a 79 per cent drop, the largest decrease in the country, in the number of applications granted in the first quarter of 2013, with just three house builds commenced compared with 14 in the same period last year.
The number of planning applications lodged in Westmeath also fell, but less dramatically, by just 3 per cent from 29 to 28 over the year.
This means that of the 28 planning applications submitted over the first three months of this year, just three proceeded to the construction stage.
Nationally, the number of applications fell by 3 per cent over the year, while commencements fell by 14 per cent.
There was also a drop in applications in Offaly of 48 per cent, while Longford showed no change. At the other end of the scale, Roscommon showed an increase of 65 per cent.
In terms of commencements, only four counties registered an increase in commencements, including Roscommon again with a 78 per cent increase.
The full report is available on www.link2plans.com
