A 240-acre site at Gormanston in Co Meath identified by the Taoiseach for the development of social and affordable housing has instead been earmarked for industrial use in the draft Meath County Development Plan.
The land at the former Gormanston army base represents a significant part of Mr Ahern's plan for the delivery of 10,000 social and affordable homes as promised under the 2002 social partnership agreement, Sustaining Progress.
Mr Ahern repeated his commitment to the 10,000 new homes when he addressed the Ictu annual conference earlier this year. However, yesterday Meath county councillors said they were not consulted on the Gormanston site which could comfortably provide a quarter of Mr Ahern's overall target.
Meath county management opposed moves by councillors to rezone land in other areas of east Meath on the basis that there was insufficient water and sewerage services. Councillors then, in turn, said that the Government site should not be zoned for housing without a Government commitment to a new €30 million sewerage plant for the area.
The council is controlled by a coalition of Fianna Fáil, two Independents and one Labour councillor but there was cross-party opposition to the rezoning of the Gormanston site as residential.
Independent East Meath area councillor Jim Cudden said the Gormanston site would require large-scale services but "nobody consulted us about housing there".
Labour councillor Dominic Hannigan said councillors were not prepared to rezone land for the Department of the Environment or the Taoiseach without a commitment to funding for the new sewerage facility.
"Nothing happens until we get the €30 million sewerage plant," he said.
Fine Gael councillor Pat Farrelly said the members were in a position "where the Government wants something from us and I don't think we should give it without a commitment to the services we need".
Councillors said the industrial rezoning was included in the draft plan as it met the Department of Environment's own employment objectives under regional planning guidelines.
Meath planning officials declined to answer media questions at the planning meeting yesterday.
A spokesman for Minister for the Environment Dick Roche said it would be premature to comment on the council's action as the development plan was only at draft stage.
Announcing the affordable housing initiative earlier this year, Mr Ahern said the Government was to engage in a number of land swaps designed to speed up the delivery of social and affordable housing.
