Deputy Mayor of Kildare, Cllr Rob Power has called on the Government to clarify population growth estimates it issued for Co Kildare which stated that by 2023 the county will have a population of 237,600.
Cllr Power made his comments at yesterday's Kildare Co Council monthly meeting in Naas.
Cllr Power said: "That’s 16,000 lower than initially planned in our County Development Plan - or in housing terms, 6,400 fewer units.
"The Kildare County Development Plan anticipates the population of Kildare reaching 253,600 by the first quarter of 2023."
He added: "No one can deny that we still have a serious problem in housing.
"Last week, there were just 100 units to rent in Kildare and with 900 houses for sale, only 40% of them were at or below the average house price.
I find it remarkable, that in the thick of a housing crisis we are presented with targets at serious variance with our County Development Plan (CDP).
The difference in population projections will result in a loss in development levies of €54,000,000 to Kildare County Council in the next five years, the Deputy Mayor noted.
He continued: "It is likely that the new council in 2019 will need to amend the County Development Plan and revise down our housing targets. Until then our planning department is left in limbo.
"This will have an enormous impact on our ability as a council to plan for new housing, to provide services to communities and to attract employment to the region.
"We desperately need clarification from the Minister on this."
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