Cullen orders council to rezone more land

Large swathes of land in Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown may be rezoned following an unprecedented planning intervention by the Minister for Environment, Mr Cullen.

Mr Cullen has ordered county councillors to rezone more land for housing, saying the draft development plan is "deficient" because not enough land is zoned residential to satisfy the council's housing strategy.

In a letter to the county manager, Mr Derek Brady, and the cathaoirleach, Fianna Fáil councillor Mr Trevor Matthews, the Minister warns that councillors must comply with his direction made under the Planning and Development Act 2000.

He says it is up to councillors to decide which lands to rezone to meet his direction.

Mr Cullen's intervention is the latest development in a row between Mr Brady, who last year attached a "health warning" to the councillors' development plan, and a majority of councillors who are opposed to large-scale rezoning in the area.

Although the councillors have made an additional 31 hectares available for housing, Mr Brady wants them to rezone at least an additional 40 hectares.

Among the lands most likely to be rezoned is Dún Laoghaire golf club, which was not rezoned by a single vote on two occasions last year. Other lands that may now be rezoned are Stepaside golf course, Clontra, Ballinclea, and the Irish Glass Bottle grounds at Goatstown.

Mr Cullen issued the direction after receiving a request from Mr Matthews, who had asked him to give councillors "an opportunity to correct the difficulty we have got ourselves into". The draft plan agreed by councillors was "not alone invalid, it's a disaster", Mr Matthews had claimed.

The Green Party last night described Mr Cullen's direction as "outrageous". Councillor Kealin Ireland said the county manager's attempt to get more lands rezoned was inadmissible because councillors had agreed most of the plan. Submissions could only now be made regarding material alterations.

"The manager cannot be allowed to work the system and keep forcing a vote until he gets the result he wants. Once these lands are lost, they are lost forever - not just to us but to future generations. That is not democracy, it is an outrage."

Ms Ireland said the planners' calculations on future housing need were based on outdated figures. The latest figures from the Central Statistics Office showed Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown had enough land zoned for housing to meet its needs until 2010. Some 210 hectares were already zoned residential but not developed.

She said it was "no coincidence" that a submission had been received from Cosgrave Developers, which is interested in developing Dún Laoghaire/Rathdown golf club, which calls on the council to rezone more land in accordance with its "statutory obligations".

However, a spokesman for the Minister accused the Greens of trying to mislead people.

"The Minister is not and can not have any responsibility for zoning land."