Religious organisations have expressed their disappointment at a new requirement that they set aside 25 per cent of any land sold to developers in Dublin city for public open space. Paul Cullen reports.
On Monday night city councillors voted overwhelmingly to reverse an earlier ban on housing development on land zoned Z15 for "long-term institutional" use.
However, the motion passed also imposed a number of conditions on the sale of any such land. One quarter of the site will have to be reserved for open space and/or recreational facilities, except where existing buildings take up more than 50 per cent of the property.
In addition, schools, churches and other institutions selling land will have to draw up a local area plan setting out a "clear vision" for the entire land holding.
Crucially, these plans will have to be approved by the local councillors before land sales to developers could go through.
The new conditions are likely to increase the difficulties and expense faced by religious institutions seeking to raise money by selling parcels of land, but the previous proposal would have prevented any such sale unless the lands were rezoned.
Mr Stephen O'Byrnes, a public relations consultant who lobbied councillors on behalf of Catholic religious orders and the Church of Ireland-run Alexandra College, said his clients were disappointed about the open space provision, but relieved that the original ban had been scrapped.