Councillor wants to compare current Mayo planning data to that of 1978

A local councillor has requested planning figures for the first seven months of 2023 to prove that rural Ireland is in a state of ‘depletion’ compared to 1978,  writes Paul O'Malley.

Cllr Richard Finn told last week’s meeting of the Claremorris-Swinford Municipal District he recently came across a planning application lodged to Mayo County Council on July 13, 1978. He said the planning application number ended in 846, which he took to mean that it was the 846th planning application to be made to the council up to that point.

Claremorris-based Cllr Finn said he wished to be provided with the number of planning applications that were made to the council between January and July 2023, as he did not believe there would be as many made nowadays.

“It would be very interesting to compare what’s going on in this country and what’s going on is total depletion of the countryside and the evidence is there to prove it,” he said. “It’s a total and downright disgrace that the countryside has been treated like this and you can guarantee that those 846 planning applications were acted upon as well.

"There's people out there in the countryside who can't get enough people to be on their football teams. Our population is being totally depleted and someone has to answer for those figures."