Ballina councillors want autonomy to zone land
Councillors in the Ballina Municipal District have rejected a recommendation from Mayo Co Council chief executive Kevin Kelly that material alterations (MA) related to land zoning be excluded from the Ballina Local Area plan.
Some 38 MAs to the plan had to be considered, the majority of which were accepted by councillors but they expressed concern over Mr Kelly's recommendations on the 13 MAs related to land zoning. In his report, Mr Kelly recommended making the plan without these proposed material alterations to land zoning in the majority of the 13 cases as otherwise they would be going against the recommendations of the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR).
Cllr Mark Duffy said the role of the OPR in this process makes it nothing more than a "charade".
“We try to express what we see happening on the ground in society and yet the planners' hands are tied by a level of bureaucracy above the County Development Plan,” he said.
“Landowners are sitting on lands that Residential Zoned Land Tax was supposed to activate but it looks as though they are walking back from that. We should have the autonomy to zone land on behalf of people who want it zoned.
“We’re going through a charade here. The red tape lies elsewhere and it needs to be changed quickly.”
Cllr Annie May Reape said that there was ‘acres’ of land around Ballina that is serviceable and should be zoned.
“We should all be supporting one another to get land zoned; the chief executive and the executive staff should be supporting us,” she said.
Cllr Joe Faughnan said that every chance to zone land and build housing in Ballina should be taken in order to address the housing crisis.
Cllr John O’Hara said land must be rezoned for housing and support given to builders who are willing to develop new estates. He said the housing simply is not in the town.
Senior planner John McMyler said they would now need to change the plan within five working days and councillors would need to give a reason for rejecting the recommendations from Mr Kelly and OPR. Cllr Duffy said the housing crisis is reason enough.
“Only 30% of our housing targets are being met, we need to increase that threefold,” he said.
“Only two housing estates have been put up in the town in the last 15 years, that’s not good enough. County Mayo has a prosperous future but what is being imposed on us is limiting our potential. The barriers being put up here are a national disgrace.”
