This article is from page 20 of the 2008-06-17 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 20 JPG
LARGE tracts of land that run along the River Fergus have been rezoned from limited residential to open space in the new Ennis Development Plan in response to fears over flooding.
In what will render the price of land banks located close to Ennis town centre to agricultural prices, the new draft Ennis Development Plan re- zoned land mainly to the south of the Quin Road business park from ‘other settlement land’ to ‘open space’.
The draft plan — which will be pub-
lished next month — also rezones land bordering Lake Girroga on the north outskirts of Ennis from ‘other settle- ment land’ to ‘open space’.
The lands rezoned ‘open space’ to the south of Ennis now form part of a “development exclusion zone”. This ‘development exclusion zone’ also includes the former Doora landfill. Part of these lands have also been re- zoned from ‘other settlement land’ to “open space”.
The move to create development ex- clusion zones follows the completion of a consultant’s report earlier this
year on flooding in the greater Ennis area which recommended the freez- ing of development on 210 acres of land in the town and its surrounds.
The consultants’ report also rec- ommends the spend of €15 million to carry out works on barrage, river channel and N18 bridge upgrade.
Apart from creating new develop- ment exclusion zones, senior plan- ning officials have resisted the cla- mour for rezoning.
As part of the drawing up of a new development plan for Ennis, devel- opers seeking to profit from rezon-
ings were seeking to rezone a total of 1,720 acres of land around Ennis to residential, mixed use, commercial and industrial.
In the 168 submissions received by the council, the developers were seeking to rezone 1,247 acres of land for housing, 150 acres for mixed-use development, 115 acres for commer- cial development, 57 acres for in- dustrial and 97 acres for low density residential zoning.
However, in a planner’s report ap- proved by County Manager Alec Fleming, the vast majority of the
rezoning applications have been rec- ommended for refusal and the current Zonings are to remain as they are.
Planners held workshops’ with councillors and, after much heated debate, have recommended that only 100 acres be rezoned for housing — well short of the 1,247 demanded by developers.
The planners have also recom- mended that 63 acres be rezoned for industrial and commercial develop- ment.
The draft plan is to go on public display next month.