Donegal's Mary T Sweeney elected onto Aontú's National Executive Committee.

Donegal Aontú representative Mary T Sweeney has been elected onto the party’s National Executive Committee.

Remarking on the weekend’s successful Ard Fheis, Ms Sweeney thanked all delegates who voted to elect her to the party’s Ard Chomhairle, the first time a member from Donegal has been selected to such a position in Aontu’s short history.

“This is a fantastic honour and privilege,” she said. “Donegal now has a voice on the National Executive Committee, and it will be my priority to promote policies crucial to the county at the top table of Aontu.”

Ms Sweeney also welcomed the recent announcement from James Browne, Minister of Housing, to ease planning restrictions for one-off rural developments.

READ NEXT: Councillors told ‘eyesore’ fallen tree will not be removed in Ramelton

“We have made countless representations for young couples across Donegal, who are trying to get planning permission for homes on family farms or land,” she said. “While I welcome the statement that the minister will relax the planning criteria, I will also be waiting with some mood of caution to see the full details of this announcement. The reason I say this is that we in Donegal have the added burden of stringent restrictions surrounding the Ten-T Road project and Ballybofey Bypass.”

“There are young people starting off in life who have had to move away from family farms in an attempt to find planning, or who have been forced to purchase a house in an urban area far from their extended support network of parents and grandparents or established neighbours and friends locally.

“We in Aontu have consistently campaigned for the easing of restrictions on rural planning applications and our councillors have voted accordingly at local authority level nationwide, and will continue to highlight the concerns of those in rural Ireland.”