Dublin People - Councillors vote to rezone Saggart green belt

Home

News

Latest News

Councillors vote to rezone Saggart green belt

Thursday, 29 May 2008

South Dublin county councillors have rezoned land in a green belt area at Citywest to allow for the development of a massive shopping centre - against the advice of county planners.
Councillors voted by an almost two to one majority to alter the county development plan to facilitate the rezoning near Saggart.
The vote went against the recommendation of the county manager and legal opinion that the council could be leaving itself exposed to judicial review proceedings from the developers of a rival shopping centre.
Some 13 councillors voted for the variation, seven against and three were absent. The three Fine Gael councillors who were present declined to vote
The development, known as the Golf Village on Fortunestown Lane in Saggart, had previously been zoned as green belt to cater for golfers.
However, councillors voted to rezone it as ''local centre'' facilities, allowing a wide range of retail uses on the site.
The county manager's report on the proposed variation of the development plan argued that there was already enough retail space in the area.
The newly opened Citywest Shopping Centre has 9,800 square metres of retail space, of which about 18 per cent remains vacant, according to the report.
The manager also said the change would have a negative impact on the viability of the Citywest Shopping Centre and would be contrary to the overall settlement strategy for the county.
In addition, the existing local centre of Saggart Village has 3,660 square metres of existing and permitted retail space, the manager pointed out.
Planning permission for over 90 per cent of this centre had only been granted in the past number of years and some of this space was still available for letting, the manager said.
Cllr Tony McDermott (GP) said the Citywest Shopping Centre was opened only last September and had plenty of vacant retail space to fill.
“Saggart Village also has thousands of square feet of retail space available,” he said. “This variation of the County Development Plan is uncalled for and not good for the area."
In addition he noted that there was not a single submission supporting the rezoning during the public consultation period.
“This decision puts at risk the viability and vitality of existing shopkeepers in Saggart,” he added. “I can see no justification for the decision of my fellow councillors to speculatively rezone green belt land.”

Raw sewage floods homes

Thursday, 21 August 2008

According to residents of Whiteacre Place, excrement, dirty nappies and sanitary towels floated through their streets, homes and gardens following last week’s torrential rain. Lone parent...
+ Full Story

Assurances demanded following flooding nightmare

Thursday, 21 August 2008

Armed with homemade sandbags and thick planks of wood, besieged residents at Riverside Park, Clonshaugh, banded together to construct makeshift dams to stem the rising flood water on August 9....
+ Full Story

Swords boy leads protest

Thursday, 21 August 2008

Karl O’Brien is a member of the Swords Youth Council, a recently formed group that is hoping to provide a constructive voice to young people in their community. The group was established...
+ Full Story

Health concerns at Southside beach

Thursday, 21 August 2008

Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council has confirmed that three overflows from the pumping station at Seapoint occurred between July 31 and August 6. Local swimmers have complained that they...
+ Full Story

Website Poll

Where is the economic turndown affecting you most?

	Increased mortgage payments
	Higher weekly shopping spend
	Less income due to decrease in work
	Not making any difference

For how long will property prices in Dublin continue to fall?

	Six months
	One year
	2-3 years
	More than three years

Advertise

Advertise Online with the Dublin People. Great rates available. Click Here

Island Banners

Navigation Menu

Website Poll

Advertise

Private Ads Login