FORMER KERRY footballer and manager and current director of Fáilte Ireland, Páidí Ó Sé will today attempt to gain what amounts to village status for the townland he lives in in the west Kerry Gaeltacht.
The townland of Ard A Bhóthair, which is near Ceann Trá (Ventry), consists of a crossroads with Mr Ó Sé’s well-known pub, his shop and a church on the way to Slea Head and is designated as a “prime special amenity”.
Senior management and planners in Kerry County Council are understood to be aghast at the proposal, but a large number of councillors, particularly Fianna Fáil councillors, are expected to support Mr Ó Sé’s proposal when they vote on the new county development plan later today.
The support of councillors Danny and Michael Healy-Rae will also be crucial for Mr Ó Sé’s bid. The submission, made on behalf of Mr Ó Sé by his architect Darryl Broe, argues that Ard A Bhóthair, Ceann Trá (Ventry) should be re-designated as “rural general” and that the land in and around the townland should be designated as a “small settlement-development node”.
A local area plan would then have to be prepared for the new node, the submission says.
The proposal would strengthen and consolidate Ard A Bhóthair as a focal point for the surrounding area, reinforce existing services and contribute to the development of a vibrant community, it said.
The designation would pave the way for holiday home development in the area that overlooks Ventry harbour and could also allow for the development of a sports centre, it is thought.
However, county manager Tom Curran has already rejected the idea of a development node. The matter came up for discussion during the drawing up of the area plan for west Kerry over a year ago and Mr Curran pointed out that the area around Ventry is already under pressure from development and every attempt has to be made to preserve the scenery of the Slea Head tourist route.
In that area plan, officials also said the landscape around Ventry had little or no capacity for development.
The strategy agreed by the council in 2007 was to strengthen the nearby village of Ventry as a focal point for the surrounding rural community and also as a small tourist village.