Call to remove urban boundary lines

A Westport councillor has reiterated a request for the so-called 'imaginary line' separating urban and rural areas to be removed to allow people to build homes in affordable locations.

Cllr Brendan Mulroy raised the matter at a recent meeting of Mayo Co Council's Housing Strategic Policy Committee.

“This imaginary line is in place in the towns of Westport, Castlebar and Ballina and people within the urban boundary who cannot afford houses in town, which are up to €500,000 in Westport, are equally not allowed housing outside the line. Schools outside the line will be closing because of the rate of decline and are already struggling in Westport rural areas. 

"If my own two children, aged 25 and 28, want to build in Kilmeena, they will be told their housing need is in Westport. I ask that these lines be removed.” 

Cllr Neil Cruise supported the call and asked that it be applied in smaller villages and across the county as affordable housing is simply not available anywhere, while Cllr Peter Flynn added: “Someone at the Quay in Westport is precluded from building a house 100 metres across the road on the Ardmore side. That is how crazy these invisible lines put in by [officials] are.” 

He said the imaginary line was an issue that needed to be raised with Housing Minister James Browne at the earliest opportunity.

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.