Planning official denies over supply of homes

THE top planning official in Cork city has rejected claims of a massive oversupply of houses in the city.

Kevin Terry, the director of services in the Planning and Development Directorate of Cork City Council, questioned the methodology used in a report from the National Institute for Regional and Spatial Analysis (NIRSA), and said he views its claims on the city as “highly suspect”.

In a major report on ghost estates launched on Thursday, NIRSA called for an independent review of the operation of the planning system during the Celtic Tiger years to consider fully its role in the creation of the property bubble.