KERRY County Council has reversed a controversial zoning decision that resulted in an outcry from residents of the scenic Aghadoe area, near Killarney.
Yesterday, the council unanimously decided to rescind a decision, made in January, to zone four acres for an industrial storage facility by businessman and developer Con Duggan, in Aghadoe.
More than 100 submissions opposing the original decision were sent to the council by residents and hoteliers in the area. Public protest meetings were also held.
Proposing a reversal of the earlier decision, Independent Councillor Brendan Cronin, said a clear message needed to be sent out to all developers that Aghadoe must be preserved.
Independent Councillor Danny Healy-Rae apologised to the residents for supporting the initial proposal, which had taken the residents unawares. “The way it (zoning proposal) was presented to me, it seemed to be alright,” he added.
Mr Healy-Rae also suggested all such zoning proposals be advertised publicly.
But, Sinn Féin Councillor Toireasa Ferris said that was the way the process was done anyway.
“There seems to be a lot of bad decisions in this chamber ... We shouldn’t come under pressure from individual developers.
“If some of us (the minority of six who voted against the Aghadoe zoning originally) can do the right thing, the rest of us can,” she said.
Following local protests, Mr Duggan told the council he did not wish to proceed.
The residents had claimed such a development would be totally unsuitable for a prime tourist area.
Donal Hickey
Irish Examiner
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