Controversy as Adare rezoning goes ahead

LIMERICK politicians last night voted through one of the most controversial land zonings outside of Dublin in the face of dire warnings of the legal risk they were taking for themselves and Limerick County Council.

By 12 votes to three (there were six abstentions) members of the county council ignored legal advice and amended the county manager’s Adare local area plan, rezoning more than 50 acres of agricultural land for housing.

Sites in Adare are among the most expensive in the country and, at the height of the boom, a prime half-acre plot fetched €1.3 million.

Last night’s rezoning will drive up the value of 50 acres from €2.5m to €25m. The council’s legal adviser, William Leahy, told the council members they could expose the council and themselves to compensation and surcharges as the land would now rise from €50,000 an acre to €500,000.

He said a developer could take action if, at a future time, An Bord Pleanála refused planning permission on land zoned by the council as residential.

Councillor John Clifford (FF), seconded by Councillor Richard Butler (FG), moved the amendment to rezone. Mr Clifford said they had good planning reasons to rezone as there was currently insufficient building land in Adare.

Adare councillor, James Cavanagh (FF) supported the rezoning and denied that it would harm the heritage of Adare. The other Adare council member, Councillor Rose Brennan (PD) was not present.

The council’s director of planning Tom Enright said the rezoning would not be in accordance with the proper planning of Adare, which he said was one of the most beautiful heritage towns in the country.

Shortly before the vote was called, Mr Leahy warned: “It is a legal decision you are taking today and I cannot emphasise enough how serious it is.”

County manager Ned Gleeson said if the councillors wanted to go ahead and rezone against advice, the decision must be grounded on proper planning.

As well as council management, the Department of the Environment also voiced its objection to the rezoning, as it “would have significant impacts on the setting of the historic town”.

Urban design consultants Nicholas de Jong in a report to the council, said lands already zoned for housing in Adare cover more than 120 acres and could accommodate up to 1,000 houses.

“This is equivalent to a population increase of around 2,600 persons, clearly far in excess of the requirements during the lifetime of the [Local Area] plan for Adare, up to 2014, and for the longer 20-year period,” the consultants advised in their report.

Irish Examiner

www.buckplanning.ie

Last-ditch effort to stop rezoning amid heritage fears

CONCERNED residents from Adare make a last- ditch effort today to try and persuade councillors not to rezone farmland for housing near the village.

Councillors in the Bruff electoral area, which covers Adare, have acceded to requests from land owners to rezone about 50 acres of farmland on the Limerick side of the village.

The move comes despite opposition from county manager Ned Gleeson and planners who fear it would damage its heritage appeal.

Councillors have a long-standing agreement to row in behind colleagues from any electoral area seeking support for rezoning.

The proposal will be voted on this afternoon when the Local Area Plan is brought before a special council meeting.

Unnamed developers have told councillors they will pay any costs if there are legal problems.

“We have lost the stopover at Shannon — do we now intend to lose the beautiful heritage village of Adare?,” The Save Adare Group said. Councillors supporting rezoning insist Adare needs affordable housing, borne out by the fact that only one member of the local senior hurling team resides in the village.

However the opposition countered saying: “We all agree affordable housing is first on the agenda, but ask yourself ‘are property developers going to pay massive money for land and then build affordable housing’? Rezoning is only suiting the property developers and not the people of Adare.”

There are two council members from Adare.

Cllr James Cavanagh (FF) supports the rezoning, Cllr Rose Brennan PD was abroad when the rezoning came before the regular monthly meeting last week.

If the rezoning goes through today, the Minister for the Environment John Gormley still has the power to block it.

Irish Examiner

www.buckplanning.ie