I come from east Clare, an area which has not suffered the same level of depopulation as parts of west Clare but where the actions of An Taisce have caused tremendous grief and heartache to individuals who have been brought up and now work there. They find it difficult to have a planning application approved because of objections from An Taisce, which has criticised the recent national spatial strategy, although it earned praise from most as being a document that would benefit the future growth of the country in a balanced and co-ordinated manner. It stated no more than one third of houses in the countryside should be one-off. This policy, based on how communities in other parts of Europe live, is that we should all live in villages, but that is not part of our culture. It wishes us to live in cocooned communities which is alien to our culture.