A plan to rezone almost 200 acres at Stepaside in south Co Dublin was approved by a majority of one at Dun Laoghaire/ Rathdown County Council last night. The change from agriculture to housing at 10 houses to the acre will allow for the construction of up to 2,000 new houses.
Proposing the rezoning, the county manager, Mr Kevin O'Sul livan, said he had changed his view on the need to rezone land for housing. He said there was some merit in a submission from the Construction Industry Federation and the National House builders' Association that a shortage of available building land was forcing house prices upwards.
The Fianna Fail leader on the council, Mrs Betty Coffey, said the reality was that "auctioneers have about 2,000 people on their waiting list for houses at Cherrywood alone. There is an urgent need for housing and if you look at Luas, the South Eastern Motorway and the timescale for this development, it is fully sustainable."
On a vote Fianna Fail members joined Fine Gael in supporting the rezoning proposal. Democratic Left, the Labour Party, the Greens and one independent opposed it.