Excessive rezoning land for housing ‘puts tourism at risk’

A WARNING was yesterday sounded that too much land is being rezoned for housing in some of Kerry’s picture postcard tourist areas, which do not have adequate services to support additional development.

An Taisce and a Department of the Environment official Michael O’Sullivan and had expressed strong concerns, a planning meeting of Kerry County Council heard.

Mr O’Sullivan said some areas being proposed for development had no sewerage treatment facilities, or facilities that were already working at full capacity.

Referring to substantial rezoning in Waterville and Valentia, he urged the council to reconsider the extra zoning “in the absence of justification for the need to do so”.

Catherine McMullin, of Taisce, said far too much zoning for housing had taken place, even though many of the towns and villages concerned were suffering a population decline.

“There is no logic in many of the rezonings and, unless development is controlled so that the areas nearest the village core are developed first, the result will be undesireable sprawl and uneconomic provision of infrastructure,” she said.

Ms McMullin also claimed the problem of controlling holiday home developments in villages, so they did not swamp the local population, had not been tackled.

Mayor Michael Healy-Rae made a submission for the rezoning of an isolated portion of land removed from areas zoned residential within Sneem village.

But senior planning engineer Tom Sheehy said there was no justification for rezoning the land for housing.

Also, such a rezoning would lead to wasteful spending of public money on services, as well as public lighting and footpaths.

“In addition, Sneem is a unique town with a very strong identity, which is largely unspoilt. Uncoordinated random zoning and development on the periphery of the town will detract from the overall setting of the town and its attractiveness,” said Mr Sheehy.

Former Kerry football star Mick O’Connell and Seanie Murphy, both living in Valentia, were said to be “greatly surprised” when a plan recommended their request for a low-density, residential zoning be rejected.

An Taisce opposed the rezoning of extra lands for housing in Waterville.