Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As to that building in Clonmel, I got a preplanning meeting for the businessman seeking a change of use from business to residential by providing five apartment blocks. These would be nice blocks in the centre of Clonmel. By the time planning fees and development and change of use charges were added up, his bank and his accountant laughed at him. They told him to forget about it. It was 57% of the cost and no bank would give him the money. He was a young man with energy, a few bob and a bit of initiative trying a business. He has another business as well. As these units were failing, he was going to convert them to town centre residential accommodation which would keep the town alive too. He could not do it because of the charges. I tried in my county development plan to change the rules in order that shops and places closed for ten years could be changed back to accommodation without any fuss or charges to try to bring life back to town centres while solving the housing crisis as well. However, it did not get into the county development plan as it might be too simple. As such, Clonmel now only has two families living over their businesses on the main street.

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