Fingal county councillors last night voted in favour of a controversial rezoning of amenity lands in Howth, despite considerable local opposition. Regina Daly reports.
The Edros site, adjacent to Tower Hill and overlooking Balscadden Bay, has for many years been zoned "open amenity space" but it was changed to "suburban area" (SA) at yesterday's council meeting in Swords, effectively paving the way for what officials hope will be the transformation of the derelict lands.
The county manager, Mr Willie Soffe, proposed the rezoning in the context of the Fingal Draft Development Plan which is being reviewed. Yesterday it went to a vote after a heated debate, and was agreed by 13 votes to 10, with one abstention.
Howth is one of six electoral areas in Fingal and its three representatives, Michael J. Cosgrave (FG), Cllr Joan Maher (FG), and Cllr Liam Creavan (FF), all voted against the rezoning.
Cllr Joan Maher and Swords-based Socialist Party Cllr Clare Daly were particularly vocal against the rezoning, claiming Howth residents would not gain anything from it. They called for a local area action plan and suggested the council buy the site and develop it itself.
Cllr Maher told the meeting that the Edros site was donated to the people of Howth more than 50 years ago. The local residents formed a social club and fund-raised to build a community centre with tennis, quash and badminton courts, but after some years, it ran into debt . They reluctantly sold the site several years ago for £850,000, and it is now derelict.
The county manager said it was a "big failure because people wouldn't support it". This, he said, despite receiving financial assistance from the then city corporation and Fingal County Council.
"In view of the history, it would be foolish for the council to buy it. An SC zoning would allow a range of uses for the site and remove the dereliction. I've no problem with it being conditional on a local area plan, but one way of ensuring it remains derelict is to leave it open space."
The director of services for planning, Mr David O'Connor, said: "Every effort to get the community association going, failed. Nobody was interested. The area was dying on its feet economically. It withered and died. Even a petrol station closed down.
"We've bent over backwards to give community facilities to this area. Developers are being painted as 'black wolves coming out of forests'."
He said the developer has been consulted and involved in all negotiations with the council.
"People have been ascribing strange motives to us and it's simply just not right. We've always behaved honourably and we'll continue to behave honourably."