It was harder to get planning permission in County Galway last year than most other rural local authorities. A new report also reveals that Galway’s two local authorities refused permission for over 400 developments in 2021.

The Office of Planning Regulator (OPR) report for 2021 showed that almost one in five planning applications in County Galway last year was refused permission.

Some 82% of applications were granted and 18% were refused. The national average grant-rate for local authorities was 88.5%, according to the OPR’s Annual Review of the Planning System 2021.

The report said that Galway County Council approved 1,663 planning applications in 2021, and it refused 355.

In Galway City Council in 2021, 86% of all planning applications were granted permission while 14% were refused. This meant there were 310 planning applications approved and 51 refused by Galway City Council.

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