Submissions deadline for Athboy Local Area Plan

The deadline for submissions and observations on the Athboy Draft Local Area Plan is next Tuesday, 16th December. The council has published a 'Strategic Issues Paper", which coincides with the pre-draft public consultation phase of the Athboy Local Area Plan (LAP). The paper is published for the purpose of both notifying all relevant stakeholders of the intention of the council to prepare a local area plan for the town and to stimulate debate between the planning authority, key stakeholders, landowners and the general public around issues relevant to Athboy. This will aid the council in the preparation of the Athboy LAP by ensuring that local people have a say in how their area develops into the future. The Local Area Plan will set-out an overall strategy for the proper planning and sustainable development of Athboy town going forward and will provide an area specific focus, whereby a detailed assessment of local planning issues can be made and pursued with the benefit of local community involvement. The primary focus of the Local Area Plan for Athboy is to plan for and secure an appropriate level of facilities and services for the area and its surrounding community. The Athboy LAP will replace the written objectives and land-use zoning map originally adopted as part of the previous Meath County Development Plan in March 2001. The LAP will also be guided by the current Settlement Strategy for the county. Athboy has been identified as a 'Small Growth Town" settlement within the strategy. The primary principle of the county"s settlement strategy is to channel residential development into the three main settlements of Navan, the Dunboyne/Clonee/Pace Rail corridor and the Drogheda Environs. The development of the 'Small Growth Towns" within the county (including Athboy), will be required to be slowed dramatically and be closely linked to local growth rather than to regional growth, as has previously occurred. It is anticipated that this will be achieved by reducing the projected growth rates of the 'Small Growth Towns" and ensuring that a proportion of new housing in multi-house developments are reserved for locals only. The discussion paper refers to planning issues, as follows: Developing and integrating new residential communities, natural and built heritage; built form and consolidation of the town centre; community, leisure and recreation facilities; communications and infrastructure; waste management and recycling; employment/economic development, and transportation This list is not exhaustive and there may be other topics or views on topics, which will be of relevance that may arise in the Athboy Local Area Plan drafting process following the placing of this consultation document on public display, says the council. Interested parties should make submissions before 3.30pm on Tuesday, 16th December. Any submissions or observations made will be taken into consideration by the council before the making of the LAP. Submissions or observations in electronic format can be e-mailed to planningsubmissions@meathcoco.ie The consultation document is available for inspection during normal office hours at the planning department, Abbey Mall, Abbey Road, Navan; Navan Branch Library, Railway Street, Navan; Kells Town Council and Area Office, Kells; Athboy Branch Library, Main Street, Athboy, or on www.meath.ie.