KILDARE County Council has been requested by the Minister for the Environment, Mr Howlin, to suspend making "ill considered" decisions on land rezoning until it first prepares a development plan for the county as a whole.
A statement from his Department noted that this was the first time a minister had intervened in the development plan process, adding that the action had been prompted by "increasing concern about controversial zoning decisions being made in Co Kildare".
However, Mr Howlin has stopped well short of becoming the first minister to use powers under the 1963 Planning Act, which would have enabled him to direct the county council to reverse the rezonings it has already made in Clane, Leixlip and Newbridge.
And though the statement said he had written to the council "instructing" it to defer further land rezonings, the letter from Ms Mary Moylan, a principal officer in his Department, merely requests the council to concentrate its efforts on making an overall plan.
It says there is a clear need for the council to set out in its development plan a strategic approach for the county. Having done this, in consultation with the regional authorities, it should then decide where growth would be distributed.
"The preparation by Kildare County Council of its county development plan on this basis clearly implies that the council should defer adopting any further development plans for towns (and/or) villages pending the availability of the county plan," the letter says.
In his statement, Mr Howlin said he had repeatedly warned that "maverick rezoning" was undermining public confidence in the planning process. He had also made it "absolutely clear" that he would not fund the provision of services for such lands.
"I had hoped that councillors in Kildare would heed these warnings, but they have not and I regret that I have now been forced to take this unusual step," he declared.
Mr Howlin's action wash welcomed by Mr Emmet Stagg, the local Labour TD and Minister of State for Energy. He said the "piecemeal approach" adopted by the council had led to "excessive residential rezonings with no coherent county strategy".
Mr Stagg, who played a leading role in persuading Mr Howlin to take action, said his "instruction" also cast "serious doubt" over the status of rezoning decisions already made.
Cllr Catherine Murphy (DL), who opposes the rezonings, described Mr Howlin's intervention as valuable". But she said the public would "rightly cast a jaundiced eye" on those who chose, for the sake of political advantage, to exaggerate the Minister's limited powers.
. The Kilcock and District Community Council last night welcomed Mr Howlin's decision to defer the adoption of the Kilcock draft development plan. The group said it was pleased that the precedent, set by the local referendum in which a two to one majority of the community had voted against the plan, had been noted at national and ministerial level.
In a statement, the group said it favoured a plan which had "a coherent overall strategy for land use", and took into account "the availability and capacity of existing infrastructures".
The group also accused Kildare county councillors of not addressing local concerns about the amended draft plan. "It is our belief that there be full consultation in future between the community of Kilcock and the local councillors over any development plans affecting the people of Kilcock."
