There had been "an unprecedented" increase in planning applications in rural Kerry and the county's smaller towns last year, it was revealed yesterday.
The annual budget meeting of Kerry County Council heard that close to 4,600 applications were made, most of them for one-off housing.
Around 75 per cent of the applications have been decided, with permission granted in the majority of cases, the meeting heard.
The number of single rural houses granted permission in Kerry far exceeds population needs, and is now more than twice what is needed for permanent residents.
The practice by councillors of forcing management to grant permission to one-off rural houses through Section 140 of the Local Government Act, a power available to councillors, and the publicity surrounding this, had encouraged those who had been refused permission to re-submit, the Kerry county manager said in his report circulated at the meeting.
Other factors in the 13 per cent increase in applications on the previous year included proposals for an increased development contribution scheme in Kerry, the new county development plan, and new waste water guidelines.
There has been bitter division between the executive and councillors over planning in rural Kerry.
Dealing with high levels of planning applications and enforcement is costing the council significant amounts of money, the meeting heard.
The figure has been increased substantially to address the whole area of one-off rural housing, Mr Martin Riordan, county manager, outlined.
The planning service in Kerry will cost the council over €5.7 million this year.
The figure includes €333,000 for extra planners to deal with the council's new on-site pre-planning service, the first of its kind in the country.
The on-site service will see planners meet people intending to make an application for a house on family-owned lands and sites and will look at issues such as elevation, drainage and traffic hazard.
It is designed to facilitate planning for one-off rural houses.
The overall spend by the council next year will be just over €108 million, an increase of 7 per cent on last year's estimate, with most of the money going on roads, waste, and water and sewage.
High numbers of unauthorised developments were complained of during the year and some 500 were investigated.
The meeting was told that action was taken in 355 cases.