Louth County Council crossed a Rubicon of sorts last week when it adopted a grossly overblown local area plan for the village of Dunleer. Not only was land zoned for housing to cater for Dublin commuters, but provision was made for a large "tourist retail outlet village" on a farm owned by a prominent Fianna Fail businessman, resulting in an estimated 18-fold increase in its value.
In both cases, these decisions were taken against planning advice and, in the latter, against the retail strategy for Co Louth - adopted last year by the same councillors - which did not designate Dunleer as the location for a retail facility of the type proposed.
Only the Minister for the Environment, Mr Cullen, can dispel the impression that, in spite of all the revelations of recent years, the zoning process remains as indifferent to the common good as ever. He has the power to "call in" the Dunleer plan and, if necessary, rescind it if he finds that it runs counter to planning policy, as expressed in the National Spatial Strategy (NSS).
Yet one wonders whether the Taoiseach has even read the NSS, judging by his remarks at the recent Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting in Sligo. Mr Ahern fulminated against planning restrictions on "one-off" houses in the countryside, saying such obstacles could not be justified when the Government's spatial strategy envisages relieving congestion in cities and towns by moving people out to work and live in the regions. However, the NSS says nothing of the sort; it simply cannot be used as a carte blanche for the "bungalow blitz" that is relentlessly suburbanising the countryside.
The strategy draws a clear distinction between, on the one hand, "rural generated housing needs arise for people who are an intrinsic part of the rural community by way of background or the fact that they work full-time or part-time in rural areas" and, on the other hand, "urban-generated housing" in rural locations arising from people in urban areas "seeking a rural lifestyle", either for permanent or holiday homes. The "needs" of this latter category, it says, should be catered for in a sustainable manner by "encouraging appropriate residential development in villages and towns", rather than in the open countryside.
The Taoiseach would be well-advised to read this section of the NSS more closely before he pronounces on the issue again. In the meantime, the Minister for the Environment must show that the NSS has teeth by "calling in" the plan for Dunleer and sending it back to Louth County Council for further, more mature consideration in the light of national planning policy.