Mr. Colin Fee:

When one makes a planning application, particularly, in town centres where space is limited, the local authority has a scale of the number of parking spaces that would be required. There is no change to the infrastructure. If we could put the park in we would it ourselves as part of the overall project. What happens is that one is levied. The local authority works on the basis of a number of car spaces for that development and one is levied accordingly. I think the cost is €8,500 or €8,300 per car space. If one has a development such as ours, where one is charged €70,000 or €80,000 just to provide parking spaces, and taken with the other levies such as water, sewerage and so on, one ends up paying a huge amount. That is an impediment to getting these projects off the ground especially the smaller in-town projects. I am aware of three that did not go ahead because the costs meant they were not viable. I do not know if all local authorities charge the same price but in County Louth the cost is €8,500 per unit.