Fear of compensation claims has prompted Fingal County Council to retain 5,500 acres of land surrounding Dublin Airport - including the airport itself - as an agricultural zone pending a major study of the area's development potential.
The council also decided yesterday, by 13 votes to eight, to reduce the options for serving the airport by light rail and DART-type heavy rail from five to two, despite complaints that the Dublin Transportation Office had yet to indicate which route it favoured.
Under the draft county plan, published earlier this year, the entire area around the airport was rezoned as a special mixed use zone to facilitate the airport's expansion and cater for the development of ancillary warehousing and other airport-related uses.
But the county manager, Mr William Soffe, frankly conceded at yesterday's meeting that this proposal - which came from him - was mistaken, because it would tend to inflate the expectations among landowners on the value of their land.
Thus, if planning permission was refused to develop any portion of the 5,500 acres, the landowner involved could sue the council for compensation. However, he said it was never the intention of the planners that all 5,500 acres would be developed.
Mr Douglas Hyde, the county planning officer, said a reversion to agriculture zoning was required to ensure the council had sufficient planning control over development in the area and to give time to carry out a major study involving outside experts.
Ms Anne Devitt (FG) proposed an amendment to recognise the special status of the 5,500-acre zone, indicating that it would be open to development. Otherwise, she warned, Aer Rianta could use its powers to acquire land at its agricultural value.
Mr Joe Higgins TD (Ind) said there was a rising tide of greed among people involved in lands in this area and they could not wait for its speculative value to increase. The only sensible solution was to retain it as an agriculture zone, pending the major study.
Mr Michael O'Donovan (Lab our) said the airport was a huge engine of employment creation, while Mr G V Wright TD (FF) said it was an essential part of the Belfast-Dublin economic corridor. The council was also told that it accounts for u£6 million in rates annually.
On the issue of how the airport was to be served by rail, Mr Hyde said the county planners had to "put a gun to the heads" of CIE and other agencies to say what routes they would prefer. It was necessary to "firm this up" by reducing the number of options.
Several councillors said all options should be kept open pending the completion of a major review by CIE of suburban rail services in the Dublin area
Mr Higgins said it was unacceptable that the council should be deleting a DART-type line which would also serve Ballymun and Finglas.
Later, the council voted to confirm the proposed rezoning of two large tracts of the former green belt between Baldoyle and Portmarnock, with Fianna Fail and Fine Gael councillors arguing that this would provide local people with housing in their own areas.
