Plan to rezone 425 acres in Newcastle refused

South Dublin County Council has rejected a proposal to rezone 425 acres of agricultural land for development around Newcastle village, Co Dublin, 30 acres of which are owned by a brother of the Minister for Health Mary Harney.

The proposal, advanced by PD councillor Gerard Cullen, would have allowed for 5,000 houses to be built on the site and was described as "entirely inappropriate" in its scale by deputy county manager Tom Doherty last night.

Mr Cullen's motion which called for a draft variation to the county development plan to change the zoning of the land had already been passed by the council's Lucan-Clondalkin area committee, but was rejected by the full council last night by a 19 to two majority.

Mr Cullen said he supported the rezoning because the developers had undertaken to provide 300 houses at a reduced price for young local people, a further 600 social and affordable houses, a 60 acre park, and a secondary school.

The entire site would have been developed by Sandymark Construction Ltd.

Laurence Harney a local man and brother of the acting PD leader owns a 30 acre section of the site.

The scheme is being promoted on behalf of the developers by Colm Tyndall, a former PD councillor who resigned in February 2006. Mr Cullen was co-opted to the council in his place.

In a 14 page report to councillors calling for the rejection of the proposal Mr Doherty said the rezoning would conflict with statutory development at local, county and regional level.

The road infrastructure was "entirely inadequate" for such a development and there was essentially "no public transport" in the area, he said.

"It would radically alter the nature and extent of the village of Newcastle and increase its population to town size" and would "not deliver sustainable development", he said.

Socialist party councillor Mick Murphy said there was no argument for rezoning the lands and said that councillors were being cynically manipulated to rezone the land on the promise that local young people would be sold houses at a discount.