Bulky goods motion fails to move forward
A COUNCILLOR has called for the zoning in the Wexford Town Plan to be altered to enable the local authority to permit retail trade in out-of-town shopping centres where many outlets are currently flouting planning regulations by selling items other than bulky goods.
However, Cllr Lisa McDonald was told by Director of Services Tony Larkin that while he understood the issue behind her motion, the Town Plan cannot be varied in this way but can only be changed through a complicated statutory process.
‘This particular motion cannot pass. If it does I will have to ignore it,’ said the director, as he explained that the Town Plan will come up for review next year after the completion of an ongoing County Development Plan review.
Cllr McDonald said the current zoning provision for out-of-town retail parks allows for the sale of bulky goods only but this is at odds with the reality on the ground.
‘We will have to change our zoning to allow premises operate outside the bulky goods rule. There are plenty of them out there already doing so. We have to reflect what is on the ground’, she said.
Cllr McDonald said a provision for retail warehousing with sub-categories of ‘Shop Neighbourhood’ and ‘Specialist Retailing’ would allow consideration to be given to the granting of planning permission for such outlets. ‘It doesn’t then have to be granted but it could be considered’.
The Director of Services said holding the line on retail parks to protect town centres is ‘very difficult’ and those planning authorities that haven’t held the line have regretted it. They have shops in the retail parks and their town centres are vacant.
Mr Larkin said the council would be back in the New Year for a Town Plan review and he suggested that Cllr McDonald and the ‘stakeholder group she is voicing’ can make a submission to the local authority then.
‘I’m not voicing any stakeholder group. I want to make that clear. I resent that snide remark’, replied Cllr McDonald.
‘Our retail parks don’t comply with planning at the moment. If one falls the rest can fall too. They are there, they are operating and they are under our sufferance. There are jobs at stake in this. I agree with protecting the town centre but our zoning is not in line with what is happening on the ground.’
The Director of Services said the draft review would come before the council by the middle of next year.
He said he accepted that Cllr McDonald is not working with a stakeholder but there is a certain amount of lobbying going on in relation to this issue.
‘We’re doing our duty in accordance with the law but I am perfectly open to submissions during the review. The Wexford Town Plan in unusually old. I’m looking forward to the review and discussing with the members where they think the defects are’, he said.
‘We have a planning team who are working on the draft plan for Wexford at the moment and there will be a formal consultation stage. However, this motion cannot pass.’
Cllr McDonald said if this was the case someone should have picked up the phone and given her the courtesy of a phone call to explain that when the motion was first submitted but they didn’t. Cllr George Lawlor said he understood Cllr McDonald’s view. They had all been lobbied in relation to a particular case, but they had to be very careful as ‘we have seen towns devastated in other areas.’
‘It’s an extremely serious issue. We have to take on board what the planners are saying. If we legitimise something that is now going on we could find ourselves in a situation where the town centre is hollowed out’, he said.
Cllr McDonald said she could name 20 businesses that are currently operating in contravention of the bulky goods rule.
Cllr David Hynes said no one wants to damage the town.