Levies of €15 per square metre for housing in Killarney, with other special development levies introduced some nine months ago are set to bring in hundreds of thousands of euro to the town.
Killarney is one of the first to avail of Sections 48 and 49 of the Planning and Development Act 2000, which will involve all local authorities preparing a development levy strategy by 2004.
Town engineer, Mr Denis O'Connor, said this will fund a major plan for the tourist town following a plethora of applications for hotels, apartments and private housing over the past year. At least three new hotels, extensions to others and hundreds of apartments and town houses have been applied for.
The new Killarney Urban Master Plan by town planning consultants and architects Murray O'Laoire sets out a vision for the tourist town for the next 100 years. There has been criticism of the overall spend on the plan itself which is in the region of €200,000.
Newly elected mayor of Killarney, Mr Michael Courtney, (Ind) said more time was being spent in planning than in implementing works.
Mr O'Connor, defended the spending. He said the master plan would not only pay for itself in terms of the increases in development levies it proposed, but would actually generate funds, to help finance the boulevards, the cycling lanes, underground car parks, civic museums and other amenities set out in the plan.
A proposal to pedestrianise the town centre streets in Killarney, a key part of traffic management in the master plan is meeting with strong opposition from traders.
The master plan is at public consultation stage.