Madam, - I attended the Wicklow County Council meeting on Monday, December 4th, and witnessed the significant developer-led rezonings made by the councillors referred to in The Irish Times(December 5th). I was very surprised that a large number of these rezonings were totally at variance with the recommendations of the county manager, council planners and external consultants who regarded them as being "unsustainable development in the context of the settlement of Greystones and Delgany".
Indeed the manager in his report had recommended their removal from the plan which he reiterated to the councillors during the meeting.
The councillors' decisions were also made without proper public consultation and were at variance with submissions from the public. One councillor stated that the "silent majority" who did not make any submission on the plan were in favour of the rezonings.
The Local Government Act 2001 Code of Conduct for Councillors issued in July, 2004, states that "key decisions on planning matters such as the making of development plans are vested in the elected council as representatives of the local community acting in the interests of the common good and the proper planning and sustainable development of the area".
These rezonings were neither in the common good nor in accordance with proper planning and sustainable development.
Farcical decision making of this kind has created a planning mess in Ireland and has undermined public confidence and trust in the integrity and fairness in the planning system. - Yours, etc,
JOHN GERRARD, Greystones, Co Wicklow.