Galway Bay fm newsroom - Councillors have raised concerns at this week's local authority meeting that a smaller number of houses to the hectare would impact on housing supply in county towns in future years.
Documents relating to the new County Development plan contain proposals to lower the density of housing in some urban areas.
Councillor Joe Byrne said proposals to limit construction to 16 houses per hectare in certain towns in the County would reduce the ability of Galway County Council to get enough dwellings built.
Mentioning that 500 housing units were to be provided in the County this year - with a similar number next year - Joe Byrne said units per hectare should be increased.
Councillor Daithí Ó Cualáin said the number of applicants for social housing in the County is now 3,634 and that many people were on the list for the past 10 years. He said the Council had bought land for houses in areas such as Lettermore and nothing had been built.
Housing Services Director, Liam Hanrahan, said houses were being built in areas areas such as Clifden and Moycullen and that other locations were being looked at. However, the absence of sewerage schemes was a problem.
Senior Planning official, Valerie Loughnane, said that housing densities could be discussed in meetings about the forthcoming County Plan.
