Sir, - Your Environment Correspondent, Frank McDonald, is to be complimented on highlighting the land rezoning excesses which are being imposed upon the communities of North Kildare.
The people of Kilcock were, at first, stunned and then outraged, when they discovered that our two Fianna Fail and two Fine Gael local county councillors were proposing rezoning changes which would increase our population six fold. This would all happen in one five year plan, yet existing rezoned land, when developed would bring about almost the trebling of the town's present population anyway.
We insist that this is more than enough growth for the present five year development plan. Not one acre of the proposed 600 plus extra acres should be rezoned until the existing land bank is used up.
We all recognise that our councillors have heard the representations of landowners and developers; that's fair enough. However, we don't have a level playing pitch at all, because those objecting to the plan find it next to impossible to get a proper hearing.
The same four councillors are proposing to increase the population of nearby Clane by a factor of three. Even though the vast majority of the voters of Clane signed a petition against the increases, nonetheless the four, at their recent Clane area meeting, passed the increases. There's democracy for you!
The local councillors are in danger of believing their own propaganda: that opponents of their plan are merely reflecting the line of their political opponents. Unless politicians of the main parties quickly listen to the voice of their electorate, they may well reap the whirlwind in this part of north Kildare. - Yours, etc.,
Chairman,
Concerned Residents of the Kilcock Area,
Ballycahan,
Kilcock,
Co Kildare.