Leitrim, long a byword for rural decline, is set to receive a record number of planning applications this year. According to the assistant county manager, Mr Sean Kielty, applications will exceed 1,000 by the end of the year, three times that of the past five years.
He said that five years ago a planning application for more than five houses was rare; now they are coming in for developments of 20 and more. A single application can cover up to 100 houses.
However, the county is determined to avoid the kind of development that has blighted other scenic parts of the State. Council policies aim to encourage people to set up home in the county, rather than speculate on holiday homes. There are numerous tax incentives, but these are mainly restricted to owner-occupiers or to those renting houses for a minimum of three months. Leitrim is in a good position to obtain EU and Border funds. Its sparse population, minimal industrial development and, in the main, poor agricultural land means it is a disadvantaged area, according to the EU. Being a Border county, it is also eligible for supports from funding organisations promoting peace and cross-Border co-operation.
There are tax incentives for those renovating old or derelict houses for full-time occupation. These incentives, available to the upper Shannon area, amount to 100 per cent of the refurbishment costs over 10 years. Leitrim has had a rural resettlement programme for several years, with a rural resettlement officer who helps people move from congested urban centres, and then helps them with any problems they encounter. It also has a community link officer, who discusses community needs and initiatives with local groups and ensures that organisations, such as community groups, Leader and local development programmes, work together. "We are also recruiting a heritage officer and a conservation officer to ensure that development is not at the expense of the environment," said Mr Kielty. "We will also be putting a local cinema on the road, using a £1 million prize we won from the Department of the Environment. As well as commercial films, it will show films with special emphasis on Leitrim or locally-made films, and also general road and water safety, and anti-litter propaganda from the council."
Ms Tina McLoughlin is the community links officer with the council. She works on contract, funded by the EU's Peace and Reconciliation programme.
Ms McLoughlin stresses the importance the council is placing on sensitive development, despite the huge surge in housebuilding. "We are discouraging the kind of development that has caused problems in coastal areas," she says.
There had not been a problem in providing services for the houses being built, she said. "We were preparing for this and fighting for tax incentives for years, trying to inject a bit of life into this part of the country. We looked for both EU and national funding for sewerage and roads. We are trying to strengthen core villages and hoping the benefits will spread out to the surrounding areas."
Those moving into Leitrim include returning emigrants; people moving from the east coast in search of a better lifestyle; those coming through the rural resettlement programme; and some from European countries. Many bring their jobs and skills with them while others move into the county's new industries, such as MBNA, the US credit card company which has created more than 300 jobs at a call centre in Carrick-on-Shannon.
"Our 18-year-olds always left the county," says Ms McLoughlin. "I will now have to stop thinking my children will have to emigrate."