People power overturns Ashbourne zoning plan

Residents of the Ballybin area between Ratoath and Ashbourne last week secured a major planning victory on a zoning issue in their locality. Plans to zone 49 hectares of lands for industrial use in the area were rejected by the majority of members of Meath County Council at a special planning meeting which turned boisterous at times. The previous week had seen a majority of the Dunshaughlin area members of the council support a plan by Kealahill Homes to zone the holding on the Ballybin Road, outside of the town's development boundary, to facilitate an animation company. However, by the time the proposal came to the full county council last week, a public meeting had taken place in Ashbourne, and those against the proposal at the local area council numbered more than those in favour of it. This led to two hours of animated debate at last week's council meeting which saw local residents in the public gallery interjecting in the debate amongst councillors. Meath County Council planners and the Department of the Environment outlined a number of compelling reasons why the proposed rezoning constituted bad planning, both in principle and in practice, Ciaran Buckley of the residents' group said. "It is in direct conflict with the county's development strategy and would result in Ashbourne having four times as much industrial land as is required for the period of the new development plan. It also leapfrogs existing available industrially-zoned land and brings development beyond the logical boundaries of Ashbourne town." The promoters of the rezoning claim, Kealahill Homes, claim that if they can get this land rezoned, they have already lined up an international company which would bring hundreds of high-quality jobs to Ashbourne, Mr Buckley added. "If, in fact, this company is a genuine prospect, then there is no reason why they wouldn't agree to locate on the east side of the N2 motorway. From their perspective, the side of the motorway on which they are located is irrelevant," he added. The residents opposed the proposal on the basis that the Ballybin Road provides a green belt between Ashbourne and Ratoath. This technology park would effectively break the green belt and would lead to haphazard industrial development all along the road, the predicted. The Ballybin road was also meant to be the route of the Ratoath/Ashbourne spur of the commuter rail-line to Dublin and the residents said this plan doesn't take this into account. The site adjoins the Ballybin forest, which is a private-with-public-access hardwood forest, one of very few in County Meath. No development should degrade this important amenity, they say. The Broadmeadow River also runs through this site and the development should not be allowed to degrade this watercourse. The Ballybin road is dangerous and cannot handle the current level of traffic. The road needs to be straightened and upgraded before any development could take place. Public transportation services to north Ashbourne are poor and could not support a development of this size, they added. When the proposal initially came to Meath County Council in June, Cllr John Farrelly, supported by Cllr Joe Bonner, proposed zoning half of the site in question, and this went back out for public submissions. This resolution was adopted contrary to the strong technical advice from the executive that the zoning was premature and inappropriate at this location. At last week's meeting, Cllr Nick Killian proposed the zoning of the site, but Labour councillor for Dunshaughlin, Cllr Niamh McGowan, proposed that the manager's recommendation that no change in the existing zoning take place. "in fairness to the residents of the area, they had been keeping watch on the Ratoath Development Plan," she explained. "But as this was in the Ashbourne plan, they didn't realise it was also affecting them, but when they did, they moved quickly on it." Cllr McGowan said she is happy that the council as a whole made the right decision in terms of proper planning, sustainable development and for the public good. "The system is robust enough that, in the event of a developer coming forward with definite jobs, they can be accommodated. And I would be the first to welcome them," she said. The council members voted 16 in favour, nine against, with three abstentions and one absentee on the status quo remaining on the unzoned lands.