Council resists pressure from developers

A major push by developers to have zoned residential land in Meath released in order to get housebuilding moving again is meeting with resistance in Meath County Council. The aims of eight development/construction companies were revealed in strong representations made to the council as it prepares material alterations to a core strategy of the Meath County Development Plan 2007-2013. The building firms argue that all housing growth throughout the county will be held up until local area plans for different districts are completed and only one-off houses will be allowed. However, Meath County Manager Tom Dowling has said the alterations are necessary because of the excess amount of rezoned land for residential purposes in the county. The developers claim that council proposals are contrary to national and regional policy. One of the companies - Adroit - said that a previous wording in the draft core strategy should be reinstated to allow for proposed developments to be considered on their merits. Another company - Granbrind - argues that proposed amendments to the county development plan run contrary to guidance from the Department of the Environment or legislation on core strategies. The companies arguing against particular amendments to the county plan are Adroit, Granbrind, High Degree Developments Ltd, Palladrone Development Partnership, Castlethorn Construction, Mill Road Consortium, McGarrell Reilly and M&M Construction. They have made official submissions on the proposed amendments to the council. Stephen Little & Associates, representing Adroit Company Ltd, said the proposed amendments were not in accordance with the guidance note from the Department or legislation on core strategies. It said the core strategy fails to demonstrate how land would be developed on a phased basis as required by legislation. This company says it believes that the time required to vary all of the local area plans, particularly the resources required to review the county development plan at the same time, would result in Meath being a "no development" zone for a number of years. In his response to the developers' submissions at a meeting of Meath County Council on Monday, the county manager said that amendments to the core strategy in the county development plan had been proposed by members of the county council and detailed how applications for residential development will be assessed when they are lodged following the adoption of the core strategy and prior to the review of town development plans or local area plans. "This policy approach is considered necessary and appropriate given the extent of excess residential zoning present across the county," he said. Local area plans must legally be consistent with the objectives of the development plan and core strategy. The High Degree Developments submission dealt with a section of the core strategy relating to Enfield and, in particular, to the extent of car parking available at the local railway station. It said the core strategy text had said there was little capacity available in the car park. However, it noted that permission had been granted for car parking spaces in 2008 and it had inspected the car park on a number of occasions to find that there were "a significant number of vacant spaces". The county manager argued that, as the submission did not relate to any of the proposed amendments to the core strategy, the High Degree comments could not be considered at this stage. Cllr Brian Fitzgerald said there were serious implications in what the councillors were being asked to consider. He said that none of the submissions made to the council had been taken on board. Some of these submissions had been made by people who had a lot of respect for the planning process. The core strategy they were being asked to consider had been introduced by the previous government in a very rushed way. "Rushed legislation has been shown to be a disaster in this country," he said. The Department of the Environment had promised detailed guidance on the subject. However, no local authority in the country had received any guidance to date. "How in God's name can we adopt a core strategy without receiving guidance from the Department which was promised to us? We are being asked to adopt something here which will not be of any benefit to this county," he added.