Castlebar councillors are prepared for stand-off with Minister

Councillors are prepared to fight back after the Office of the Planning Regulator rejected changes made by elected members to the Castlebar Local Area Plan.

In December, Castlebar councillors met and agreed on several alterations to the draft plan. However, the Office of the Planning Regulator (OPR) has refused the changes.

The OPR has contended that the Local Area Plan as adopted fails to include an accurate core strategy table and in particular, does not set out a table which estimates the quantum of housing that will be delivered on lands zoned Existing Residential, the quantum to be delivered on mixed-use town centre and opportunity sites and the quantum to be delivered on lands zoned New Residential.

The OPR said the Local Area Plan includes material which zones additional residential land in excess of what is required for the town having regard to the growth targets for Castlebar under the core strategy of the Mayo County Development Plan 2022-2028. 

The OPR is of the opinion that the Local Area Plan as made is inconsistent with the objectives of the Development Plan of the area.

A special meeting of Castlebar Municipal District is likely to convened to discuss the impasse.

Independent Cllr Michael Kilcoyne said local councillors are prepared to fight their corner.

“We are supposed to be responsible for adopting the Local Area Plan. If the Department or the Minister wants to overturn it well, I won’t be taking any instructions from the Minister. I will take direction from the people,” he stated.

“Either we are going to develop the town and get houses built or we are not,” Cllr Kilcoyne added.

He said if the Minister decides to impose the recommendations set out by the OPR it "raises fundamental questions about democracy", adding that months of planning went into the proposed alterations.

"All of the changes that we made we felt they were needed. We also feel that you have to zone land around the town in order to get building done."