Fine Gael Deputy James Bannon said this week that the scourge of ‘ghost estates’ must be resolved. Their are some 18 ghost estates in Westmeath.
“Whatever the cause or causes, and these are numerous, the ghost estates we see around us in Westmeath are a proof of the excesses of the Celtic Tiger years, the greed of some developers and poor planning. It is obvious that the link between property demand and supply was stretched to a totally unrealistic length. The recession and reduced immigration broke the fragile chain.
“Population growth failed to meet the number of estates that were developed and unemployment has changed the rural/urban profile,” he added.
Deputy Bannon believes a huge question hangs over the issue of planning permissions. “Unlike my colleague Deputy Peter Kelly I don’t believe that the Planning & Development (Amendment ) Bill 2009 will wave a magic wand over the area of ‘rogue developers,’ he explained.
“Services must be developed to turn ‘ghost estates’ into sought-after residential units. The needs of those awaiting social housing must be paramount and local authorities and the Minister must act to clear waiting lists.”
