Council attempts to salvage plan for 5,000-house town
A number of councillors yesterday expressed anger over the decision, especially as the Government had decided to designate the proposed town at Monard, near Blarney, as a “strategic development zone”.
Council planners, for almost four years, had a dedicated team working on the project. But the blueprint was rejected on Friday last by An Bord Pleanála. One of the main reasons for refusal was the lack of certainty over a start date for a proposed northern ring road which would have provided connectivity with the proposed new town.
Acting county manager Declan Daly said council staff were examining why An Bord Pleanála overruled its own inspector on the decision. The inspector had accepted 3,800 of the 5,000 houses could be built without the proposed northern ring road being in place.
“We were satisfied the scheme could progress for a number of years before the ring road became an issue.
“One of reasons for Monard was because it was next to the existing rail line and residents could use public transport,” Mr Daly said.
He said the council would take legal advice and talk to the Department of Environment “in order to allow us to plot a way forward”.
County mayor Noel O’Connor (FG) described the refusal for the plan as “mind-boggling”. Cllr Pat Burton (FG) said knocking Monard on the head meant there was now no zoned land for major housing development on the northside of the city. He said a plan for such a development in the Ballyvolane area may need to be fast-tracked.
Cllr Frank O’Flynn (FF), however, described the Monard plan as “pie in the sky” especially when there were so many ghost estates around the county.
Cllr Tom Sheahan (FG) said he was disappointed as the issues in dispute could easily have been overcome.
Cllr Burton said An Bord Pleanála could have allowed the council to build a certain number of houses until the northern ring road was developed.
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