Roche urged to tackle rezoning row

A DINGLE lobby group has called on Environment Minister Dick Roche to overturn decisions by Kerry County Council to rezone lands.

There are growing concerns about what is described as “overdevelopment” of holiday homes.

Dingle Sustainable Development Group has written to Mr Roche asking him to revoke the decision to rezone lands that have extended the town boundaries.

Far too much land is already rezoned for housing, according to the group.

But, landowners around Dingle are continuing to seek rezoning so that more holiday homes can be built.

The group stressed the council’s own policy, as stated in its county development plan, was to limit urban sprawl.

“To our surprise, the council, instead of drawing back the boundaries of the town, extended them so far out that it makes a mockery of the stated objective of the plan to create a compact and accessible town,” the group added in its submission to Mr Roche.

The council’s senior planning engineer, Tom Sheehy, who strongly opposed several recent rezonings in Dingle, has stated Dingle is over-zoned for housing.

For that reason, Dingle Sustainable Development Group said it beggared belief councillors could rezone more land for housing.

“This rezoning is more about pleasing the interests of individual voters than serving the wider interests of the community at large,” the group claimed.

In making its call on the minister, the group pointed out that he recently called on Clare County Council to revoke the zoning of lands in south-east Clare.

Property sources in Dingle, meanwhile, report a continuing demand for tax incentive holiday homes in the area, starting at prices of around €300,000 and rising to more than €500,000.