Minister cracks down on council rezonings

Minister for the Environment Dick Roche is concerned about large-scale rezonings in the draft development plan for County Monaghan.

Mr Roche, who this week overturned extensive rezonings approved by Laois County Council, is also considering the contents of a number of other county development plans, his press spokesman said yesterday.

However, unlike the Laois plan, other plans which are under scrutiny are yet to be adopted by the councils involved and, other than Monaghan, the Minister's spokesman declined to name the councils concerned.

On Thursday Monaghan County Council met amid allegations from its own members that land was being rezoned to facilitate hthe migration of people from the Dublin area. Monaghan senior planners and county manager Declan Nelson have advised the council against rezoning too much land around existing villages, pointing out that infrastructure was not there to support it.

The same day Mr Roche refused to approve the Laois development plan adopted by the council on the grounds that it zoned enough land for the entire population of the midlands region up to 2020.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Roche described the Laois rezoning as "grotesquely irresponsible" and "indefensible".

He said he had seen the damage done by rezoning in advance of infrastructure in his own constituency of Wicklow over the last 30 years, and it had led to people struggling for schools and basic services.

The Minister said he would oppose all "secondary" rezoning in county development plans on the basis that a National Spatial Strategy is in place and a regional strategy. Resources to fund infrastructure would be directed towards the designated towns and villages in that strategy.

Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Mr Roche said such rezoning would lure "young couples "into an area that had no infrastructural supports.

Laois County Council will now have to review its plans for the development of no fewer than 24 villages. Among the villages affected are: Arles; Attanagh, Ballacolla, Ballinakill, Ballylynan, Ballyroan, Ballybrittas, Ballyfin, Camross, Castletown, Clonaslee, Clough, Coolrain, Cullahill, Emo, Errill, Killeshin, and Rosenallis.