Macra charges fury
At their public meeting last Monday, local TDs and county councillors were grilled by angry Macra members and others concerned at the nationwide pressure on cash strapped local authorities to impose development levies on new houses and businesses, which would drive up construction costs.
Wexford Macra Chairman, Simon Lambert, said charges could make owning their own home unattainable for many young families, and would place significant pressure on farming families carrying out necessary farm building work.
There could be new charges of 5 per square metre for agricultural structures of 500 square metres or more, and from 7,250 to 11,490 for serviced dwelling houses.
Rates would be lower for new houses built on unserviced sites without mains water or sewage.
Mr Lambert said even the percolation work on a building site, before any building starts, could cost 1,200 more, if development levies are imposed, and he warned that new charges could be imposed on quarries, which could greatly increase building material costs. Macra president Thomas Honner has warned that the proposals from the Minister for the Environment to introduce new local authority levies are bad news for home-buyers and farmers.
He said farmers already face increasing environmental controls on their construction projects, and called for exclusion from county council development charges for the development of farm buildings.
“Macra will campaign against any additional costs to young people trying to build or buy a home or develop farm buildings”, he said.
