People shouldn't be blocked from building a home in rural Ireland.
That's the view of Supermacs boss Pat McDonagh who was speaking at today's 30th anniversary of Irish Rural Link in Athlone.
The Galway native believes national planning framework must address the lack of rural housing in an effort to save local school and services.
He's calling on local authorities to facilitate the building of more once off housing with the provisions of adequate infrastructure in place such as broadband and sewerage systems.
Speaking to Let's Talk today, Pat says there has been a shift from urban to rural living as a result of the pandemic.
''So obviously, there's not sufficient houses for the demand that's there. I think this is as a result of the pandemic that people have realized that the quality of life is better in rural areas and rural towns around the country. Most counties are looking towards the adoption of a new county development plan. And I think that needs to be taken into consideration because, as I say, there are different requirements now than what they were even two years ago.''
