A chara, - Minister for the Environment Dick Roche, speaking at the recent IPI conference, rejected any suggestions that the authority to draw up development plans should be transferred from councillors to officials in order to institute proper planning in our towns and villages and to curb windscale rezoning.
Well, the need to curb the councillors' reckless use of power is nowhere more apparent than in Dingle, where the local draft development plan sets out, it says, "to create a compact and accessible town in accordance with the principles of sustainable development".
It also aims, we are told, to "seek to maintain and enhance Dingle's unique character, ambience and cultural attributes". Then, to create this nice compact community, the plan zones over 170 acres of land for housing, much of it a mile from the town centre.
This, according to Kerry County Council, is enough land to build 685 houses over the six years of the plan - enough for a population of 2,005, more than doubling Dingle's present population.
And how do the councillors respond to this housing splurge? By voting to rezone even more land.
If their proposals go through, the town boundaries will be extended to include a large area outside Dingle.
If we are to develop well-planned towns and villages, it is imperative to end the abuse councillors make of their powers to rezone land. - Is mise, etc,
SEÁN BROSNAN,
Dingle Sustainable
Development Group,
Dingle,
Co Kerry.