THE number of planning applications lodged with Donegal County Council has soared by 500 in the past year.
New figures show that where in 2020 the local authority handled 2,096 planning requests, by the end of this year it expects to have dealt with 2,580.
Planning applications have increased more or less year on year since 2016, a trend Director of Services Liam Ward said was good news for the county.
Addressing elected members at the annual budget meeting, Mr Ward said, “It is a positive sign that more applications are coming in. Obviously it is more of a challenge for us but it is also something we are obliged to deal with.”
Donegal County Council also appears to be shaping up for an enforcement crackdown in the new year.
At the start of 2021 the local authority set aside €573,000 for enforcement activities. That will rise to €633,000 next year.
Director of Development Garry Martin said the money will be spent on site investigations, preparation of cases for prosecution, issuing of warning letters and enforcement notices and, where necessary, court prosecutions.