Sir, – I wholeheartedly agree with your letter-writer in relation to the ecological cost of building houses (September 19th).
I have long wondered at the logic of the derelict housing grant in relation to ruins (read piles of stones) and the impact “restoring” these properties has on delicate habitats.
In Connemara these ruins are being snapped up by cash-rich buyers and turned into holiday homes without any requirement to meet the local housing need criteria.
Sensitive habitats are being destroyed and more strain is being placed on local resources while long-term residents of the area cannot get planning or afford a second-hand home.
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The derelict housing grant has contributed to a blight of one-off holiday homes in Connemara and these ruins should instead be listed as protected structures both for their vernacular architecture and the habitats they provide to local species. – Yours, etc.
MARY McDONAGH,
Cleggan,
Co Galway.