PUBLIC URGED TO MAKE VIEWS KNOWN
Submissionscanbemade onDraftDevelopmentPlan for2021-2027
TIME is running out for those who want to make submissions to the Draft County Development Plan 2021-2027 which will shape the way our county develops in the next six years.
The plan is currently going through the public consultation process which means that individuals and groups can make submission before noon on Wednesday 23 December.
The restrictions around the COVID-19 pandemic has led the Council to host virtual planning clinics via Zoom, with clinics taking place this week, from 6pm to 8pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evening, and from 10am to 1pm on Friday. Places can be booked by emailing devplanqueries@louthcoco.
While the plan is naturally of great interest to property developers, it is also important for individuals to be aware of the changes proposed in the plan as it affects anyone thinking of building a house or setting up business. It allows people to see how the area where they live might be developed in the coming years.
‘ There are big changes since the last plan as Louth is now within in the Eastern and Midlands Region as opposed to the Border Region, with an enhanced role for Dundalk and Drogheda, with targeted populations of 50,000 up to 2031,’ explains Joanna Kelly, Senior Planner with Louth County Council.
‘ This is also the first time that the we have Dundalk and Drogheda within the County Development Plan as traditionally they would have had their own Development Plans.’
‘ The strategic policy for the next six years is set in this plan and the focus is on the urban centres. That is where we have to direct the population to attract funding for capital projects.’
Land use zoning is changed, she says, adding that ‘ the days of over zoning is long gone’ and the local authority is being asked to forecast the number of housing units required for the next six years and to zone sufficient land to meet that need.’
All planning decisions have to be evidence based and factors like flooding, proximity to towns and villages, and the availability of existing infrastructure have to be factored into the plan.
One of the most controversial matters in any Development Plan is the policy around one-off housing in rural areas. This new plan will reduce the previous six developmental zones to just two - Zone One for the highly scenic area of the Cooley peninsula and those areas of the south of the county under consideration for UNESCO designation, and the Zone Two for the remainder of the county.
‘What is important to note, is that the entire county is under urban influence,’ says Joanna.’An awful lot of the county is over developed with one-off housing.’
However, she stresses that the new plan will allow for local needs, although Zone One, taking in the Cooley peninsula and parts of south Louth, will be more restrictive. ‘Someone who lives in an area for 18 years is deemed a local, even if they have moved away to college,’ she explains. ‘However Zone One is more restrictive but provides for farmers in the area or the sons/ daughters of farmers. The landowner will have to own at least 3 hectares for ten years.’
Joanne says it’s ‘very important that people engage in the public consultation process. If they don’t come to us and make submissions, we can’t deal with their concerns.’