Councillors move to rezone lands
LISTOWEL Municipal councillors voted unanimously to adopt the draft local area plan for the district – excluding Listowel town – subject to three key amendments on Friday.
Two of the amendments pertain to lands in Ballybunion, with the third in Lixnaw.
The amendments include the zoning of a site on the southern periphery of Ballybunion to residential as well as the rezoning of the old Castle Hotel site in Ballybunion from ‘passive/natural open space amenity’ to ‘tourism’ in order to facilitate tourist-related development there.
It is also now proposed to rezone lands at St Michael’s Green in Lixnaw – the site of a ghost estate – to ‘new/proposed residential’ and ‘existing residential’ from ‘strategic residential’, to allow the expansion of the development within the site.
The amendments were tabled contrary to planners’ guidance, but with councillors setting out compelling mitigating circumstances. They are to go before the public for consultation now in the next part of the process informing the final Local Area Plan.
The first amendment paves the way for a housing development granted planning in 2008 – and extended to December 31 of 2021 – on the southern periphery of Ballybunion, adjacent to the GAA pitch.
It followed a submission to the Local Area Draft Plan from Paul O’Dowd on behalf of John Brown.
The Chief Executive’s report on the submission found the fact there is currently no residential zoning not preclusive to development, but recommended no amendment be proposed.
This recommendation was on the basis that the development is technically outside the town development boundary and would contravene the Council’s Core Strategy on Housing:
“The submission relates to lands that measure approximately 5.44 hectares. The Core Strategy housing land requirement as set out...in the Kerry County Development Plan 2015-2021 for Ballybunion is 12.7 hectares. The zoning of these additional lands would therefore contravene the Core Strategy as the housing allocation for Ballybunion has been zoned within the settlement boundary.”
Meanwhile, it is now proposed to zone the former Castle Hotel site in Ballybunion for ‘tourism’ despite planners’ fears that any development of the site would have a ‘serious negative impact on the town’.
There were a number of submissions pertaining to the site: Greg Ryan of Castleland Development Ltd sought to have it zoned for ‘mixed use’, arguing that if the area were properly designed with residential, commercial and green space it ‘would greatly enhance the main street of Ballybunion’.
Kevin O’Callaghan of the Ballybunion Development Company; Cormac Cahill and Jackie Hourigan, in separate submissions, asked for it to be zoned to allow its development.
Mr O’Callaghan’s ‘submission states that it is of prime importance to the economic regeneration and urban fabric enhancement of the town...the submission also states that permission was granted in the past to construct a hotel on this site however, this did not proceed due to the downturn in the economy.
Kerry County Council said the preservation of the site as an ‘ amenity area’ would contribute to the tourism potential of the town.
“The development of this site would also have a serious negative impact on the town when viewed from the beaches due to the scale of the development that appears to be envisaged for the site,” it found.
Council planners also said they felt any such development would also ‘ have a serious negative visual effect on the adjacent Ballybunion Castle, which is a national monument’.
But Councillors – including local councillor Robert Beasley (Sinn Féin) – spoke of the need for zoning that would allow for the realisation of the town’s tourism potential, particularly now at a critical juncture with the industry upon which the town depends all but shut down. They also pointed to the fact the Council had already facilitated planning on the site in the past.
Kerry County Council had also granted planning permission for the St Michael’s Green estate in Lixnaw, a development that became a so-called ghost estate when the recession hit.
Tom Philips and Association submitted a proposal – on behalf of Frank Quilter – to zone an undeveloped part of the St Michael’s Green tract to ‘R1- New/Proposed Residential’ and ‘R2 - Existing Residential’ from ‘Strategic Residential’.
Doing so would ‘facilitate the balanced future growth of Lixnaw. It is submitted that the subject lands are suitable to provide for sustainable residential development, which would support the enhancement and augmentation of facilities and services available in the wider area and accommodate the increasing population of Lixnaw.’
But planners found the zoning request would be contrary to the Council’s objective of ‘encouraging the development of a compact and sustainable village structure by ensuring that new development is contiguous with existing development and makes use of backland and infill sites’.
The Core Strategy of the County Development plan meanwhile does not give a population allocation for Lixnaw.
For that reason planners found that extending the settlement boundary of Lixnaw would not be in accordance with the ‘proper planning and sustainable development of the area’.
Lixnaw native Councillor Aoife Thornton (Fine Gael) however argued that, as a result of the wetlands treatment facility that’s current taking shape in the village, the waste water services will shortly exist for the expansion of the village population – placing growing demand on the local housing stock.
Cllr Thornton also said the zoning would pave the way for the visual transformation of the ghost estate which is considered something of an ‘eyesore’ locally due to the stymied construction within, and despite decorative planting works by its owner.
Councillors voted unanimously to adopt the draft Local Area Plan subject to the three amendments – as proposed by Sinn Féin Councillor Robert Beasley and seconded by Fine Gael Councillor Mike Kennelly.