Council reveal rezoning plans for housing
The rezoning plan is expected to go on public display before the end of the year.
A plan to rezone a host of sites in towns and villages across Mayo as part of a local authority plan to open up new areas for housing is making progress.
Councillors approved a proposal at their monthly meeting in October to initiate a variation to the Mayo County Development Plan to facilitate the rezoning of new residential land, which is crucial to the delivery of housing in the county in the years ahead. The councillors had given approval in September for council chief executive Kevin Kelly to prepare of a report on the rezoning variation proposal.
The plan also relates to the rezoning of some sites as strategic reserve lands, strategic enterprise and employment lands, and extension of boundary areas in towns and villages, while one of the biggest tranches of land proposed for rezoning is at Cloonagh in Castlebar, where almost 48 hectares is targeted for rezoning to strategic enterprise and employment.
In terms of lands targeted for new residential zoning, much of this is currently designated as agricultural land, but some is also designated for enterprise and employment, recreation and amenity, tourism and leisure and open space sites.
At the recent meeting, councillors were provided with a detailed report showing final maps of the individual land plots targeted for rezoning and the breakdown of proposed sites.
In the county town of Castlebar, areas proposed for new residential zoning include lands at Ballynaboll North - 7.3 hectares, currently designated agricultural land; lands at College View - 1.9 hectares, currently agricultural land; lands at Breaffy Road - 0.4 hectares, currently designated enterprise and employment; lands at Drumconlan - 0.19 hectares, currently agricultural; lands at Curradrish/Turlough Road – 5.42 hectares, currently agricultural; lands at Springfield - 0.5 hectares, currently zoned for recreation and amenity; and lands at Watersville - 0.6 hectares, currently zoned for recreation and amenity.
Areas targeted in Ballina for new residential zoning include lands at Kilmoremoy – 3.4 hectares, currently zoned for recreation and amenity; Church Road, Ardnaree – 5.4 hectares, currently zoned agricultural; Friarscourt– 6 hectares, currently zoned agricultural; Laghtadawannagh, Killala Road – 8 hectares, currently zoned agricultural; Quay Lane/ Crockets Town Backlands – 5.1 hectares, currently zoned agricultural ; and Quignalecka – 1.9 hectares, currently zoned for recreation and amenity.
In Westport, areas targeted for new residential zoning include lands at Pound Road, Carrabaun – 1.5 hectares, currently agricultural; lands east of The Grace Hotel - 0.9 hectares, currently zoned as tourism and leisure/recreation and amenity; Radharc na nEan, Rosbeg – 1.7 hectares, currently agricultural; Radharc na Greine, Altamount Street - 0.1 hectares, currently zoned open space; Rosbeg - 0.9 hectares, currently zoned agricultural.
In Ballinrobe, lands proposed for zoning as new residential are at Claremorris Road, amounting to one hectare, currently zoned for enterprise and employment.
In Ballyhaunis, just under three hectares at Hazelhill, currently zoned for enterprise and employment, is to be designated for new residential, while almost half a hectare of unzoned land in Tooraree is also to be designated as new residential.
In Claremorris, a number of sites are targeted for new residential zoning, including 0.19 hectares at Ballyhaunis Road, currently unzoned; 1.75 hectares of land accessible at Clareville, currently zoned for enterprise and employment; one hectare at Cluain Ard, currently zoned as town centre/agriculture; and 3.18 hectares at Mayfield, currently unzoned.
In Swinford, 1.1 hectares of land at Rathscanlan, currently designated as strategic residential reserve is targeted for new residential zoning.
In Balla, two separate sites of 2.16 and 2.02 hectares of unzoned land at Station Road is proposed for designation as extension of boundary; in Bohola, extension of boundary designation for almost one hectare of unzoned land at Barleyhill is also proposed, as well as 3.27 hectares in Breaffy, with a further 2.25 hectares at Roemore, Breaffy, currently unzoned. Likewise in Mayo Abbey, an extension of boundary designation is proposed for over one hectare of unzoned land at Knockaunabroon; while in The Neale, 5.34 hectares of unzoned land beside Nealepark, currently unzoned, is proposed.
Lands to be designated strategic reserve include sites in Castlebar at Knockaphunta/Mount Gordon -0.5 hectares, currently agricultural; Pontoon Road, one hectare, currently agricultural (to change to strategic residential reserve); in Ballinrobe - lands north of Hawthorn Place, 1.75 hectares, currently agricultural; at Creagh Road, Ballinrobe, 0.4 hectares, currently agricultural; at Knock Road, Claremorris, 0.78 hectares, currently agricultural; and over six hectares at Claremount, Claremorris, currently agricultural.
Lands to be designated for strategic enterprise and employment include a major site in Castlebar at Cloonagh, 47.9 hectares, currently unzoned.
The council's senior planner John McMyler informed councillors that the next stage in the process will be to carry out an environmental assessment. The plan will then go on public display for four weeks, during which submissions and observations can be made. After this, the council will have six weeks to make a final decision on the plan, and can opt to adopt the variation or to modify the variation in accordance with submissions made or otherwise, before the final report from the chief executive is sent back to the Department of Housing, which has called on local authorities to increase residential zoning and housing deliveries.
Mr McMyler added that the plan is designed to support sustainable development and told councillors, “If you adopt the variation, the land is varied the next day.”
The plan was proposed by Cllr Jarlath Munnelly, who described it as “a responsible response to the housing crisis in the county, that will increase the number of sites available in principal towns and make some practical changes to the key towns that will help".
He added: “I hope this variation is accepted by government. Many of the sites are already fully serviced and when the environmental report is ready it will go on public display. This is a good example of members and the executive working together to solve a national problem.”
Cllr Damien Ryan seconded the variation, saying: “This is a great example of a common-sense practical approach and forward planning, and I thank all the planners and staff for their work on this. We have given our best shot at this to prepare the landscape and create the proper climate for the development of the county, and I look forward to this becoming a reality on the ground.”
The initiation of the variation process was then approved by members with Mr McMyler advising that the environmental reports should be complete within four to six weeks.
- Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
