A DRAFT plan for the Killorglin area was adopted and agreement reached on dezoning almost 400 acres from residential use after a row at Kerry County Council yesterday.
This was the third attempt to find agreement on the plan after councillors objected to the process whereby planners are attempting to dezone hundreds and ultimately thousands of acres of over-zoned residential land across the county to the category “rural-general”.
A major dispute erupted when it was claimed a three-acre parcel of land the council had agreed to accept from a private developer for social housing in Killorglin may not be appropriate for housing in the first place.
Under the Planning and Development Act, 20 per cent of private residential development land or the financial equivalent has to be handed over to local authorities.
The land, adjacent to a private housing development, was “in a hollow”, the council meeting heard, and sewage would have to be pumped out of it. It could also be subject to flooding.
Government policy now favoured leasing of houses rather than construction, and it was not anticipated the council would need the land for social housing in the next five years.
Council planners proposed the three acres off the Rangue Road that were in the process of being transferred to the council be dezoned from residential to tourism and leisure.
This was to free up other parcels of land which councillors wanted to remain zoned as residential, and to facilitate the passing of the draft area plan for Killorglin.
Sinn Féin councillor Toireasa Ferris accused the council of seeking to “dezone local authority-owned lands to suit private developers”, and said she strongly disagreed with this.
Ms Ferris and some other councillors repeatedly pressed management as to how many people were on the social housing waiting list in Killorglin.
Some 137 people in the immediate town area are understood to be waiting for houses, it was confirmed later.
Director of planning Michael McMahon said the situation with regard to social housing had changed, and it was unlikely the land would be needed for housing during the new five-year plan.
Cllr Michael Healy-Rae agreed with the management proposal to dezone its own social housing land.
“The lands are down in a hollow. You would have to pump sewage out of it. And that is why we agreed with management.”
County manager Tom Curran said he rejected any insinuations against his staff that private developers were being facilitated.
Councillors rejected by a 15-10 majority the council planners’ proposal to dezone the social housing land from residential to tourism and leisure.
Meanwhile, under a councillors’ proposal land alongside one of Killorglin’s main streets, Langford Street, was dezoned from residential to amenity because of an objection by the landowner. Council management strongly disagreed with the proposal.
A majority of councillors on the Fine Gael-dominated council voted to support the management proposals to allow just 11 acres to remain zoned as residential for the village of Glenbeigh.