Rezonings add millions to Wicklow land values

Members of Wicklow County Council have agreed to rezone large tracts of agricultural land in the north of the county for industrial and residential use. A number of landowners in the public gallery yesterday saw the potential value of their holdings rise to several million pounds.

The county council also decided to agree a 300-berth marina, leisure and housing development for Greystones harbour as part of its draft development plan, which will go on public display for a month before its formal adoption later this year.

The draft plan designates an additional 39 acres as part of Enniskerry village, a move that virtually guarantees the owners of the land, the Powerscourt Estate, eventual planning permission for residential development. It also rezones 30 acres at Farrankelly to the south of Greystones at nine houses to the acre, and rezones part of Charlesland (Greystones), Drummin East (Delgany) and the N11 corridor north of Kilmacanogue for industrial development.

While council officials strongly advised against some of the rezonings, particularly in relation to hotel and industrial use, Councillor Pat Vance (FF) said the plan was, in effect, the only chance the councillors had to input their views. He also said there was a need to provide young people with housing. In relation to rezoning for industrial use in the Greystones area, Mr Vance said the town could not achieve urban council status without a commercial and industrial base.

The councillors rejected a suggestion that land between Killincarrig and Delgany in the north of the county could effectively be "downgraded" to reduce the possibility of a controversial housing development going ahead.

Also rejected was a suggestion that a green belt be inserted between Greystones town and Kilcoole village.

Planning consultant Mr Kiaran O'Malley told the councillors that the danger in "downzoning" was - in some cases but not all - to leave themselves open to massive compensation claims, while the green belt between Kilcoole and Greystones could be inserted at a later date when an area plan for Kilcoole was devised.

Councillors were also told they did not have to adopt area plans for Enniskerry village and Blessington, as these could be adopted later. In the south of the county it was agreed to amend the draft plan to allow for additional industrial development outside Arklow.

Referring to the need to provide additional housing to meet the Greystones-Delgany target population of 17,000 by the early part of the millennium, or 22,000 by 2016, Mr O'Malley said rezoning 30 acres of a 90-acre farm at Farrankelly was sustainable. The move would give a slightly higher increase in population than was necessary. Similarly zoned housing land in the area is estimated to be worth up to £100,000 per site, giving a valuation of almost £1 million per acre.

With regard to the plan to incorporate into Enniskerry village the 39 acres at Eagle Valley, Mr Dick Roche TD (FF) said that he was disappointed with the outcome of the Powerscourt House restoration.

"I was one of those who supported the plan to rezone Eagle Valley on that estate to finance the restoration of Powerscourt House, but what we got was not a restoration of the house. We got a shopping mall, a very fine shopping mall all the same, but it was not what I was expecting when I voted for the project," he said.

Also on hand yesterday was the chairman of Greystones Town Commissioners, Mr Derek Mitchell, who lobbied councillors in favour of a proposed marina at Greystones harbour. Under the scheme the council is to rezone public lands for 250 low-rise apartments. Money raised will go towards the £15 million estimated cost of the 300-berth marina.