County chief against last-minute rezoning

CLARE county manager Tom Coughlan has recommended that councillors not proceed with a flurry of last-minute rezoning for housing in the Ennis area.

In a variation to the Ennis Development Plan in July, councillors rushed through changes, against the advice of planners, to rezone almost 100 acres of land around Ennis for housing on the southern fringes of Ennis at Clarecastle.

To compensate for the rezoned 100 acres, councillors agreed to dezone the same amount of land to the east of Ennis.

In a report circulated to councillors, Mr Coughlan has recommended that the late amendments not be adopted.

In the report, he states that there is no capacity at an existing sewage treatment plant to cater for the development.

As a result, Mr Coughlan has stated that lands at Cahercalla Beg, Ballaghfadda West, Kildysart Rd, Ballebeg, Knockanean, and Claureen not be available for immediate building.

The owners of the land-bank that councillors wished to dezone to compensate for the lands they were seeking to zone have warned councillors that they will be acting ultra-vires if they proceed with their rezonings.

Three companies (Finn Properties, Kilelton Estate Ltd and Grayfinch Properties Ltd) own the vast proportion of lands at Roslevan on the eastern side of Ennis that councillors now want to dezone for immediate housing.

In a submission on behalf of the companies, consultant for the builders Brendan McGrath argues that the councillors would be acting ultra vires, or outside their powers, in proceeding to adopt the amendments.

In his submission, Mr McGrath states that there is no technical merit to the amendments proposed and makes for incoherent plan making

Mr McGrath argues that the amendments are contrary to best practice in relation to bringing lands forward for development in identifying lands that are not serviced and will not be in the foreseeable future.

In response, Mr Coughlan states: “I would concur with most of the concerns expressed by this submission and, for that reason, I recommend that 100 acres of land at Knockaderry remain in Phase One”.

The report is due to go before councillors at their November meeting.