NO NEW lands will be rezoned for housing in Dublin city until after 2017, under the new draft city development plan which has been released for public consultation.

Assistant city manager Michael Stubbs said there was already sufficient residentially zoned land to meet demand and that some land which had been zoned residential under the last development plan would be rezoned for other uses.

Undeveloped land which had been zoned solely for housing is now being considered for a newly created zoning “Z10A”. This zoning would be similar to the existing Z10 zoning which allows for mixed use development of residential, commercial and retail in urban centres, but would have lower densities.

The new zoning would be suitable for suburban land previously zoned only for housing, Mr Stubbs said.

“Introducing this new outer suburban zoning will strengthen the development of communities by allowing a variety of uses instead of mono use.”

Live-work units and units for small start-up companies would be possible under the zoning, Mr Stubbs said.

While the main strategy of the last development plan was to expand the inner city towards Heuston Station and the docklands, the new plan focuses on consolidating and improving the city and inner-suburban centres such as Ballymun, Finglas, Rathmines and Phibsborough.

Efforts are to be made to improve the appearance of the city quays, eliminate derelict buildings in the city centre and make the city more pedestrian friendly.

However, the redevelopment or improvement aspirations for many areas will require the return of investment from private developers. The plan acknowledges that schemes will be advanced as “priorities and resources permit”.

The draft plan, which proposes standards for building heights and environmental principles, as well as zonings, is open for public consultation until March 12th. It can be viewed and submissions can be made at www.dublincitydevelopmentplan.ie. Video submissions can be made at the council’s Wood Quay Venue.

IrishTimes

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CLARE COUNTY Council is set to “freeze” more than 4,000 acres from development in response to Department of Environment concerns on “unjustified and unsustainable” overzoning.

The move means that during the lifetime of the current development plan to 2014, no housing development would take place on 4,171 acres of land zoned for housing around Ennis.

The local authority was given a deadline of last Friday, October 16th, to address the overzoning in the Ennis Development Plan only months after it was adopted.

The council has agreed to overhaul its development plan after the department warned that if it did not address the overzoning, Minister for the Environment John Gormley would be forced to direct the council to make the necessary changes to the adopted plan with immediate effect.

Arising from the adoption of the plan, the department has said that there are 4,500 acres of zoned land around Ennis to cater for a population increase of 100,000. The Ennis area has a population of 28,700 and official forecasts state that there will be a population increase of only 6,300 to 2020.

In response, the council’s senior planner, Gordon Daly, has now written to the department to confirm that the council will vary its Ennis Development Plan.

In his letter, Mr Daly says: “The proposed draft variation now under preparation will therefore seek to address the concerns of the Minister in relation to overzoning by introducing a phasing plan for residentially zoned lands that is reflective of current Department of Environment population targets for the hub town of Ennis.

“It will also seek to address the concerns raised by the department in relation to the appropriate assessment and housing policy in the countryside as they relate to the current plan.”

Mr Daly said the target date for the variation of the plans was the November or December meetings of the county council and the town council. Following these meetings, the changes to the plan will be published to allow the public make submissions.

In a memo to councillors, he said the department was of the view that “there is clearly a very substantial, unjustified and unsustainable amount of overzoning of land with residential potential”.

Mr Daly said the department’s preference to overcome the overzoning was the unzoning of a substantial amount of land.

He added that the department was open to a locally based solution which involved no unzoning.

Instead, the council has identified 187 acres during the lifetime of the plan for housing; this is in addition to a further 142 acres with permissions for 1,596 homes.

Source:IrishTimes

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