KILDARE County Council has voted overwhelmingly in favour of adopting the development plan proposed by the Clane area committee, despite claims that 97 per cent of residents oppose the plan.
Following a two hour debate, councillors voted by 18 to five to adopt the plan. The three Labour Party members on the 25 seat council voted against the plan, as did the Green Party councillor, Mr Sean English, and Cllr Catherine Murphy, of Democratic Left. Two members were absent.
Opponents of the plan were accused of trying to create a "Dublin 4" in Clane by Cllr P. J. Sheridan (FF), who formally moved the motion to adopt the development plan.
The plan will result in 119 acres being rezoned for residential and industrial use in addition to the 150 acres zoned for residential use in the 1985 development plan.
Cllr Sheridan said that proposals by opponents to reduce housing density would result in large houses in the £85,000 to £110,000 price range.
Cllr John McGinley (Labour) said that the plan went against "planning logic". He was supported by Cllr Catherine Murphy (DL) who said that the council did not seem to have a clear plan as to where houses should be built.
A survey by the Clane Committee Against Excessive Rezoning purported to show that 97 per cent of residents opposed the draft development plan. How ever members of the council's Clane area committee rejected what they described as a campaign of "innuendo" by local residents to have the draft development plan altered.