Further evidence of the rapid slowdown in local building activity emerged this week with the news that the number of planning permissions granted for new houses in the county has dropped by almost two thirds in the past year.
According to the latest figures from the Central Statistics Office, planning approval was granted to 27 new dwelling units across the county in the last three months of 2009, a figure which is 64 per cent lower than the 74 granted during the same period the previous year.
The total number of planning permissions in Westmeath, including those for new dwellings, extensions, alterations, and conversions also dropped significantly over the year, from 152 down to 90.
The trend was mirrored across the Midlands region, which takes in Westmeath, Offaly, Longford, and Laois. The total number of planning permissions granted in the region during Q4 2009 was 327, just over half the previous year’s 601.
The figures reveal that during the fourth quarter of 2009, while a total of 90 planning permissions were granted in Westmeath, there were 100 in Laois, 78 in Offaly, and 59 in Longford.
Nationally, the number of houses and apartments given planning permission decreased by 63.9 per cent.
The total number of planning permissions granted for all developments was 5,137. This compares with 8,977 in the fourth quarter of 2008, a decrease of 42.8 per cent.
