85% of planning applications in Kerry granted

THE high number of planning permissions granted in Kerry, in just over two years, rebuts the frequently made claim that planning is difficult to get in the county, a senior planning official maintained yesterday.

Since November 2003, Kerry County Council has granted planning for about 7,600 dwellings - and this figure does not include the urban areas of Tralee, Killarney and Listowel.

County manager Martin Riordan said this number of houses was well in excess of the needs of the population.