Wicklow county councillors voted last night to reverse the controversial rezoning of a 172-acre site for a film studio and commercial development near Ashford after a number of councillors said they were misled regarding the original proposals, writes Liam Reid
At a meeting of the council yesterday members rejected compromise proposals for much scaled-down proposals, after concerns were expressed about the continued lack of detail in the plans.
The rezoning proposal was one of 17 the councillors voted in favour of at a marathon 18-hour meeting last July to make amendments to the county development plan, 16 of which were against the advice of the professional planners.
Yesterday at a special meeting of the council to make final decisions on the development plan, councillors also voted to delete another controversial rezoning of a country field for a medical step-down facility. They voted to retain a further seven rezonings, although some of them were significantly scaled back.
Controversy over the rezonings began in August after The Irish Times reported that the 172-acre rezoning, at Ballyhenry, near Ashford, Co Wicklow, was rezoned after architects for the landowner, Mr Joe O'Connell, informed the councillors that Ardmore Studios was planning to relocate there and would move out of its Bray, Co Wicklow, site if a new home was not found.
Ardmore Studios told The Irish Times it had no plans to relocate. Further issues emerged about other rezonings, including the fact that two of the rezoned sites were the locations of developments that currently had no planning permission, while part of another rezoned site was the subject of a proposed compulsory purchase order.
Yesterday protesters and campaigners gathered outside the county council offices in Wicklow town as the meeting got underway in front of a packed press and public gallery.
During the meeting, which was again marked by some councillors firing insults and making accusations against each other, councillors were informed by county manager Mr Eddie Sheehy that under law their rezoning decisions had to comply with sustainable development and planning guidelines.
He told the councillors that the size of the site rezoned for the film studios and retail development was "totally at variance" with these guidelines and would create an entire new town. Councillors were also told that a new interchange for the nearby N11 dual carriageway would also have to be built.
Mr Sheehy said he did support the concept of a film studio on the site, and was in favour of additional film facilities in Wicklow to attract major films to Ireland. This could be done through a future change to the development plan.
Yesterday the original proposers of the rezoning, Cllr Fachtna Whittle and Cllr Nicky Kelly, put forward a compromise motion to reduce the rezoning to 60 acres and restrict it to a film studio.