The Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Darragh O’Brien TD (FF) has criticised Clare County Council for excessive zoning of lands for housing in its new Clare County Development Plan.
The members of Clare County Council adopted their new County Development Plan 2023-2029 at a special meeting last month after public consultation that commenced back in September 2020.
However, Minister O’Brien has now intervened to issue a Draft Direction contending that the Development Plan is not in compliance with the requirements of the Planning and Development Act.
The Direction states that the adopted Development Plan “includes material amendments to the draft Development Plan which zone additional residential lands in excess of what is required for Co Clare as set out in the Core Strategy”.
The Ministerial direction adds that these zoning objectives and amendments are located in peripheral and/or non-sequential locations “and would encourage a pattern of development in particular locations which is inconsistent with national and regional policy objectives promoting compact forms of development”.
The direction states that the additional lands zoned include lands that are not serviced or serviceable within the plan period.
The direction states that as a result the plan is inconsistent with the requirement to implement a tiered approach to zoning and inconsistent with national policy to promote proportionate growth of settlements.
The public notice also points out that the Development Plan has zoned land for uses within flood risk zones that are vulnerable or highly vulnerable to flood risk and lands that have not passed the plan making justification test.
The Direction also states that the Development Plan makes provision for exceptional circumstances for access onto national roads “which are not consistent with the National Strategic Outcome of the National Planning Framework (NPF) for enhanced regional accessibility”.
In a rebuke to the Clare councillors who adopted the plan, the direction states that Minister O’Brien is of the opinion that the Development Plan fails to set out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of the area.
The direction also states that the Development Plan has not been made in a manner consistent with and has failed to implement a recommendation of the Office of the Planning Regulator.
The Council is now inviting members of the public and interested parties to make submissions on the Ministerial Draft Direction from Friday, April 28th to May 11th.
